Panthers aim for, and find, growth at home meet


Keeley Anderson of Monticello races along the Panthers’ course during the Monticello Invitational Sept. 9. (Photos by Pete Temple)

Daltyn Kramer runs through a shady spot for the Panthers at the Monti invite.

Jaison Monk competes for the Panthers Sept. 9 in Monticello.

Rounding a curve is Monticello’s Lizzie Petersen.

Lauren Lambert runs to victory in the girls’ junior varsity race at the Monticello Invitational.
CROSS COUNTRY
By: 
Pete Temple
Express Sports Editor

     “Let’s show growth” was the theme for the Monticello High School cross country teams as they hosted the annual Monticello Invitational Saturday, Sept. 9.

     And did they ever.

     Nearly every runner, both boys and girls, both varsity and junior varsity, posted a season best time. All four of the Panther teams crushed their team times (runners 1-5) from a year ago; the most dramatic was the boys’ junior varsity, which ran more than 18 minutes faster than it did in 2016.

     “I was very pleased with all of our performances,” Monticello coach Dan Sauser said. “Before the race we told them to grow as a runner, and grow as a team.”

     There were outstanding individual efforts as well. Lauren Lambert beat her previous season best by 2:26, winning the girls’ JV race. Paige Holub, who was third overall, got within 15 seconds of her all-time best, while Taylor McDonald and Natalie Newhard did post personal records. Brooklyn Stark went from the team’s 19th runner to its 10th.

     “The thing I was most impressed with was the level of growth,” Sauser said.

     On the boys’ side, there were eight PRs, the most dramatic of which was Dalton Hampson’s time, more than four minutes faster than his previous best, vaulting him from No. 18 to No. 8 on the team list. Daltyn Kramer, Alex Nealson, Austin Timm, Carter Cruise, Alan Janssen, T.J. Nealson and Eli Beitz also recorded PRs.

     “We’ve got a good number one with Aaron Loes (who was sixth overall),” Sauser said. “Now we need a 2-3-4 runner to step up for us.”

     Those runners will come from a wide list. At the Monticello meet, the second Panther runner and the 13th were separated by slightly more than a minute.

     Sauser said he was happy with the team results as well. The girls were second in both the varsity and JV races, behind Mid-Prairie in the former and Western Dubuque in the latter. The varsity boys finished sixth, and the JV boys won their race.

     All of the times at the Monticello meet were adjusted, when it was learned afterward that the course – a different one than in previous years – measured 3.19 miles instead of the usual 3.10.

     The Panthers will compete in the Cascade Invitational Friday, Sept. 15. Race times are as follows: 4 p.m. for all middle school runners, 4:30 p.m. for varsity girls, 5 p.m. for varsity boys, and 5:30 p.m. for all JV runners.

    

VARSITY GIRLS TEAM SCORES

     1, Mid-Prairie 36; 2, Monticello 62; 3, Anamosa 81; 4, Western Dubuque 123; 5, Springville/Central City 130; 6, Center Point-Urbana 147; 7, Tipton 190; 8, Dyersville Beckman 206; 9, Wilton 224.

MONTICELLO RESULTS

     3, Paige Holub, 18:41; 10, Taylor McDonald, 20:22; 14, Gabrielle Steiner, 20:53; 18, Keeley Anderson, 21:39; 24, Emily Schlarmann, 22:01; 27, Rachel Larabee, 22:23; 41, Lizzie Petersen, 23:27.

VARSITY BOYS TEAM SCORES

     1, Tipton 58; 2, Mid-Prairie 76; 3, Center Point-Urbana 85; 4, Anamosa 101; 5, Western Dubuque 105; 6, Monticello 149; 7 (tie) Maquoketa Valley 168 and Wilton 168; 9, Springville/Central City 248; 10, Dyersville Beckman 325; 11, Clayton Ridge 339.

MONTICELLO RESULTS

     6, Aaron Loes, 17:19; 30, Cole Cruise, 18:30; 35, Jasper Nietert, 18:47. 36, Daltyn Kramer, 18:47; 43, Alex Nealson, 19:17; 44, Austin Timm, 19:19; 46, Jaison Monk, 19:25.

JV GIRLS TEAM SCORES

     1, Western Dubuque 35; 2, Monticello 46; 3, Cascade 84; 4, Center Point-Urbana 105; 5 (tie) Anamosa 125 and Mid-Prairie 125; 7, Dyersville Beckman 212; 8, Maquoketa Valley 218.

MONTICELLO RESULTS

     1, Lauren Lambert, 21:45; 3, Natalie Newhard, 22:43; 12, Brooklyn Stark, 23:53; 13, Gabby Guilford, 23:55; 17, Anna Loes, 24:25; 19, Olivia Kremer, 24:50; 23, Emily Kurt, 24:59.

JV BOYS TEAM SCORES

     1, Monticello 34; 2, Western Dubuque 84; 3, Tipton 91; 4, Center Point-Urbana 104; 5, Mid-Prairie 110; 6, Cascade 129; 7, Anamosa 211; 8, Maquoketa Valley 214; 9, Wilton 252.

MONTICELLO RESULTS

     2, Ryan Oswald, 18:55; 4, Ben Barnhart, 19:05; 7, David Titman, 19:12; 8, Dalton Hampson, 19:14; 13, Carter Cruise, 19:29; 15, Alan Janssen, 19:33; 23, Zach Chapman, 19:52.

 

 

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