Cross country boys will return as Hawkeye 10 favorites

The Creston cross country teams gathered Wednesday evening to recap a season of growth.

“Both our boys and girls teams had a medalist at every single meet, which says so much about the consistency and competitiveness of our runners,” coach Maggie Arnold said. “We also had four all-conference athletes, Reese and Cora in the girls race and Wyatt and Ryder in the boys race, which is an outstanding accomplishment and something to be proud of.”

The girls cross country team was given a Distinguished Academic Achievement Award by the IGHSAU for having a 3.88 cumulative GPA.

The boys received an Excellence in Academic Achievement Award by the IHSAA for a 3.177 GPA.

Six athletes received participation awards for the season, but Arnold said these aren’t just a token for showing up.

“Cross country is one of the toughest sports out there. It takes grit, commitment and a willingness to push through challenges — whether it’s running in 90-degree heat, through wind and rain or up endless hills,” she said. “Every athlete who finishes a season has faced those challenges head-on and refused to quit. This award recognizes that effort.”

The coaches gave out two awards — the first being the Brandon Gale Memorial Award.

“It’s given to our team manager in recognition of all the hard work, dedication and effort that often goes unseen,” Arnold said. “Although this was not her original plan when the season started, Maylee [Riley] pushed aside the disappointment and rose to the challenge to support her teammates and take on a new role. She excelled in that position and lead in a completely different way than she is used to.”

The Chris Wyatt Award is given to a senior who shows incredible dedication to cross country. Abby Freeman was given this award.

“Tonight, we celebrate a senior who embodies all of those qualities,” Arnold said. “[Freeman] made a ton of changes to her preseason workouts, showed up to practice each day and made running the forefront of her fall.”

The team voted on most improved and most valuable teammate awards.

Most improved went to senior Grace Keeler who improved from 30:12 to 25:09 over the course of the season. Johnathon Henry won the boy’s award.

“[Henry] started the season with a 5K PR of 30:12 and by dedicating every single weekday to running and improving foot speed finished with a new PR of 21:21, taking off almost 9 minutes in one calendar year,” Arnold said.

Wyatt Goodenberger and Abby Freeman were named the most valuable teammate by their fellow runners.

Arnold recognized the four seniors — Riley, Freeman, Keeler and Hector Suazo, before moving forward to positive news for next season.

“Thanks to the success of our Balloon Days 5K and Homecoming Run Fundraisers, we have raised enough money to send our team to Bridge 23 Camp this summer,” she announced. “It’s a three-day camp where our athletes can continue to grow, learn and bond as a team.”

Arnold emphasized the importance of staying in shape during the offseason.

“The boys team will return to a newly assembled Hawkeye 10 conference as the favorites to take the title, but that can only happen if athletes dedicate themselves to improvement in the offseason and everyone returns to the team next year,” she said.

AWARDS

Letterwinners (letters earned)

Seniors — Hector Suazo (3), Abby Freeman (3), Grace Keeler (1), Maylee Riley - Manager (1).

Juniors — Wyatt Goodenberger (3), Reese Strunk (3), Johnathon Henry (2), Josiah Wilson - Manger (1).

Sophomores — Cora Smith (2), Austin Jondle (2) and Merrick Wieland (1).

Freshman — Ryder Baird (1), Matthew Warner (1), Bowe Fasce - Manager (1).

Participation awards — Aiden Craig, Bowe Fasce, Jameson Hanson, Josiah Wilson, Patience Howard, Maylee Riley.

Brandon Gale Award — Mayee Riley

Chris Wyatt Award — Abby Freeman

Most Improved — Grace Keeler and Johnathon Henry

Most Valuable Teammate — Abby Freeman and Wyatt Goodenberger.

Seniors — Abby Freeman, Grace Keeler, Hector Suazo, Maylee Riley.