Baudler, Weinheimer, NV and Creston ranked in preseason poll

Iowa High School Track and Field and Cross Country has released its preseason rankings for the cross country season with Creston’s girls team cracking the list as teams to watch and the running powerhouse of Nodaway Valley finding itself on both the boys and girls Class 1A preseason list.

Creston joined the likes of Carlisle, Lemars, Benton Community and Assumption as teams to watch for the 2019 girls cross country season in Class 3A. In the top-15 rankings, Wahlert was selected as the number one team.

The Panthers return junior Braelyn Baker, a state qualifier in cross country last season. Baker and her sister Brielle both placed at state (Brielle 24, Braelyn 28) and with Brielle having graduated last spring, Braelyn will look to improve on her time 20:07.01 time as Creston’s fastest.

Creston will also have Paige Davis back, another state qualifying runner from the 2018 season. She finished 84th at the state tournament.

The Panther team missed the state tournament as a group by one slot, finishing in fourth place at the Class 3A state qualifying meet, behind Harlan (seventh in preseason ranking), Glenwood (10th in preseason) and Atlantic (fifth in rankings).

Baudler, NV boys both ranked

Josh Baudler was ranked second in the cross country class after finishing as the runner-up at the state tournament last October.

After making a 34-second improvement from his sophomore year race at state, Baudler is one of the most successful boys cross country runners in Nodaway Valley school history. His 2018 state finish is the best the program has seen, topping Brycen Wallace (2017) and Shane Breheny’s (2016) third place finishes.

Baudler is ranked behind Gehlen Catholic’s Will Roder, who finished third at state in 2018. Roder was 13 seconds off Baudler’s pace, which was 3.4 seconds off the pace of Class 1A state champion Sean McDermott.

As a collective unit, the Nodaway Valley boys were ranked fourth in the preseason top-15, behind defending state champion Madrid, Calamus Wheatland and Makuoketa Valley. After finishing eighth as a team at state.

The eighth place finish snapped a three-year streak of NV winning a title as a unit in cross country at state.

Weinheimer ranked ninth

After a 13th place finish at state in 2018, Reagan Weinheimer is poised to bounce back and impress. Weinheimer was recognized as one of the best runners in her class as the ITCA preseason rankings slotted her at ninth in Class 1A.

As a freshman Weinheimer placed fifth at state, but an injury her sophomore season knocked her off the pace for a 39th place finish.

An all-state cross country runner and a state qualifying track and field runner this past spring, it’s clear Weinheimer is back to 100 percent and she can challenge state runner-up Peyton Pogge (ranked first individually in Class 1A) and company for a state title this fall.

Rankings

Class 1A Boys

Team – 1. Madrid, 2. Calamus Wheatland, 3. Maquoketa Valley, 4. Nodaway Valley, 5. Earlham, 6. South Winneshiek, 7. Pekin, 8. BGLUW, 9. St. Albert, 10. Woodward Academy, 11. Newman Mason City, 12. Denver, 13. Trinity Christian, 14. Ogden, 15. Durant.

Teams to watch – West Fork; Central Springs; Tri Center, Woodbine; Wilton.

Individual – 1. Will Roder, Gehlen Catholic; 2. Josh Baudler, Nodaway Valley; 3. Carson Rygh, Lake Mills; 4. Matt Hellige, Holy Trinity; 5. Jason Renze, Madrid; 6. Noah Jorgenson, Sidney; 7. Buddy Darting, Wilton; 8. Chase Knoche, Calamus Wheatland; 9. Logan Berg, Logan/Collins-Maxwell; 10. Brady Millikin, Pekin.

Individuals to watch – Randy Jimenez, Southeast Warren; Brett McGee, Tri-Center; Gabe Soda, Madrid; Jackson Edens, GMG; Eric Brannon, Siouxland Christian.

Class 1A Girls

Team –

Teams to watch –

Individual – 1. Peyton Pogge, Tri-Center; 2. Taylor Sporrer, Logan-Magnolia; 3. Courtney Sporrer, Logan Magnolia; 4. Annalee Bartles, Regina; 5. Jalyssa Blazek, Turkey Valley; 6. Haley Meyer, Lansing Kee; 7. Grace Beck, Denver; 8. Cheyenne Shaw, North Mahaska; 9. Reagan Weinheimer, Nodaway Valley; 10, Jenna Twait, Hudson.

Individuals to watch – J’Lyn Knutson, Melcher-Dallas; Jasmine Mueller, Central Elkader; Kylie Morrison, Logan-Magnolia; Josie Voss, Regina; Chloe Ristau, Denver.

Class 3A Girls

Team – 1. Wahlert, 2. Dallas Center-Grimes, 3. Ballard, 4. Pella, 5. Atlantic, 6. Grinnell, 7. Harlan, 8. Decorah, 9. Solon, 10. Glenwood, 11. North Polk, 12. Charles City, 13. Norwalk, 14. Bishop Heelan, 15. Spencer.

Teams to watch – Creston, Assumption, Benton Community, Lemars, Carlisle.

Individual – 1. Adrianna Katcher, Center Point Urbana; 2. Ainsley Erzen, Carlisle, 3. Gabby Moran, Dubuque Walhert; 4. Bryce Gidel, Humboldt; 5. Ellie Twedt, Ballard; 6. Taylor McGreedy, Atlantic; 7. Megan Sterbenz, Dallas Center-Grimes; 8. Abby Ryon, Mount Pleasant; 9. Amber Aesoph, Bishop Heelan Catholic; 10. Mary Blanchard, Grinnell.

Individuals to watch – Megan Sievers, Carlisle; Caroline McMartin, Pella; Emma Hoins, Waevrly-Shell Rock; Kiki Connell, Charles City; Aunna Huseman, Wahlert Dubuque.

Class 3A Boys

Team – 1. Clear Creek-Amana, 2. Gilbert, 3. Carlisle, 4. Pella, 5. Marion, 6. Dallas Center-Grimes, 7. Wahlert, 8. Decorah, 9. Humboldt, 10. MOC-Floyd Valley, 11. Glenwood, 12. Center Point-Urbana, 13. Atlantic, 14. A-D-M, 15. Lemars.

Teams to watch – Waverly-Shell Rock, Sergant Bluff-Luton, Grinnell, Mount Vernon-Lisbon, Ballard.

Individual – 1. Quinton Orr, Humboldt; 2. Nate Mueller, A-D-M; 3. Nathan Patel, Gilbert; 4. Luke Post, Center Point-Urbana; 5. Jack Sexton, Clear Creek-Amana; 6. Josiah Wittenberg, Pella; 7. Cole Hemann, Marion; 8. Kolby Fritz, Carlisle; 9. Brady Hogan, Decorah; 10. Bradley Ramsey, Dallas Center-Grimes.

Individuals to watch – Griffin Ruba, Gilbert; Chris Guise, Assumption Davenport; Nathan Munshower, Wahlert Dubuque; Nick O'Connor, Clear Creek-Amana; Ethan Juergens, A-D-M.