FORT DODGE, Iowa — State titles were on the line Friday in Fort Dodge at the Class 1A and 4A state cross country meets — and local teams won big.
Class 1A Individual Champions
- Girls: Noelle Steines - Calamus-Wheatland (18:22.0)
- Boys: Landon Bendgen - Woodbine Community (15:55.3)
- Boys Wheelchair: Eli Johnson - Bedford (28:08.6)
Class 1A Team Champions
- Girls: Madrid
- Boys: Lake Mills
Class 4A Individual Champions
- Girls: Addison Dorenkamp - Valley (17:41.5)
- Boys: Ethan Zuber - Ankeny (15:07.7)
Class 4A Team Champions
- Girls: Johnston
- Boys: Dowling Catholic
"I'm so happy and our team deserves it, we're one of the hardest working teams out there and us and our coach know that we deserved this and we've trained for this all year so I'm very very happy," Johnston senior Olivia Verde told Local 5.
"Before I was even ranked number one, last year me and my coach got done with this meet and we both agreed that next we were coming here to win. So, I was trying to validate a promise to him that I was going to be a number one guy for a whole year now. So it feels amazing to know that we backed that up," Ankeny junior Ethan Zuber added.
The action will continue on Saturday for the Class 2A and 3A state cross country championships.