Lohmann to make Diagonal’s debut at state cross country

DIAGONAL — In the first season of the program’s existence, Diagonal’s cross country team can say it is sending a third of its squad to state cross country at Lakeside Municipal Golf Course at Kennedy Park in Fort Dodge Saturday at 2 p.m.

That being said, that consists of just one runner, Maroonette junior Maddie Lohmann.

Lohmann earned her way to Fort Dodge by way of a 14th place finish and a season-best time of 21:21 at the Panorama state qualifying meet.

Lohmann has yet another chance to set the bar high and place a school record that will be hard to pass in the coming years.

“It’s taken a couple of days to let it sink in, but at the meet at Panorama. I would I say I didn’t think I had a really good chance, but as I was running the race I thought ‘okay I do have a chance.’ I got more determined as I went on,” Lohmann said.

Lohmann stayed around that 14 spot for much of the race and defeated the next two runners by 16 seconds to secure her spot.

Lohmann will be running in a field of 150 athletes.

This past week has been one of preparation for Lohmann, one that she isn’t acting differently about.

“I’m treating this just like any other meet,” Lohmann said. “I’m just trying to take it easy and not get too sore before Saturday. I’ve been doing a lot of stretching and I’m just treating it like any other meet.”

She doesn’t expect her Saturday routine the day of the meet to be peculiar by any means.

“I’m going to try and get a lot of sleep (Friday) and go to bed early, leave at 9 a.m. Probably get up at like 8 (a.m.) but I usually have toast for breakfast. I’ll probably stretch before I leave and I’ll probably drink lots of water,” Lohmann said.

Diagonal coach Matt Warren isn’t going overboard trying to prepare his star runner. In fact, he’s letting Lohmann figure it out on her own for the most part.

“She knows what she’s doing out there,” Warren said. “She knows her pace. She will push it to the limit and she knows how to go hard. She knows pretty much what to do out there, she doesn’t need me for any special instruction.”

Both Lohmann and Warren stated that they had looked over the course somewhat, but neither is too concerned about learning a ton about the course before the race.

“We kind of know the overall layout but as far as the terrain and hills and all that, we don’t know a whole lot about it. But maybe the less you know the less you have to psyche yourself out or get overconfident,” warren said. “She’s going to go out there and do her best and leave it all out there.”

Look for Lohmann wearing her Diagonal Maroon and a number 517 on the bib attached to the front of her jersey. There will be people there to see her compete at the grandest stage of cross country in the state.

“A lot of family is coming. I think they’re taking a bus or a van,” Lohmann said.

“I know of a lot of people and I’m glad I have their support.”

An appearance at state track in May gives her an idea of what to expect.

“State track, I had a big crowd watching me while I was running throughout,” Lohmann said. “Same situation Saturday. That has definitely prepared me for state. There will also be a lot more runners like there was at state track. And it’s just kind of the same atmosphere, I’m hoping.”

No matter how she runs, Lohmann will set a new standard for years to come for prospective Diagonal runners. A gritty effort this year could teach her valuable lessons about her racing ability that she can carry into her second year of cross country.

But like she said before, she’s treating this like any other meet.

Weinheimer driven to excel

Nodaway Valley freshman Reagan Weinheimer has a competitive drive that shows every time she runs.

She’ll look to channel that inner drive on the cross country course one more time Saturday.

Weinheimer, and teammate Mallory Kuhns, take to the course in Class 1A girls action Saturday at 2 p.m. at the state cross country meet at Kennedy Park’s Lakeside Golf Course in Fort Dodge.

Weinheimer’s drive comes from her father.

“He’s really competitive,” Weinheimer said.

She has his backing for her athletic endeavors.

“He’s really supportive,” she said. “He wants me to do better and supports me.”

Weinheimer is coming off a severe ear infection that very nearly forced her to miss the state qualifying meet last Thursday.

She said earlier this week she’s 100 percent.

Coming off a fourth-place finish at the state qualifying meet, she’s hungry to do better.

“I feel better,” Weinheimer said. “I’ll come back stronger. My whole goal was to qualify. I didn’t care where I placed.”

Weinheimer, who’s been ranked in the top five in Class 1A for most of the season, enters state ranked 27th.

She’s gunning for a high place at state.

“I just want to get out strong and keep my position for the whole race and do the best I can,” Weinheimer said.

She’s chatted with the boys teammates about what it’s like to run at state.

Their success drives her to emulate them. Her goal is a top-10 finish and spot on the awards stand.

“They said it’s really cool to be on the deck,” Weinheimer said. “It’s my goal.”