Perfect running conditions on a flat course made for excellent times Tuesday in the 2012 Iola High Doc Stiles Invitational cross country meet.
Iola moved its annual meet to the campus of Allen Community College this year. And with ACC coach Vince DeGrado and his student athletes, the meet went off without a hitch.
The only disappointment Iola High head cross country coach Marvin Smith had was “missing the team trophy by three points” in the boys’ varsity race.
“Our kids ran well. Pittsburg had two runners in the top five who are actually from Pittsburg-Colgan and run for Pittsburg until regional time,” Smith said. “I’ve never like that but that’s they way it is.”
Pittsburg won the Doc Stiles varsity boys’ race with 35 points led by individual champion, Johnny Adamson (Colgan). The Mustangs were second with 38 points and Southeast-Cherokee was third with 75 points. Humboldt High’s Cubs were seventh with 176 points. There were 22 schools competing in the meet.
Adamson won in 16 minutes, 54.26 seconds for the 5K distance. Iola’s Jeremy Spears was second in 17:53.33. Iola’s Trent Latta and Tyler Powelson were fourth and fifth, respectively, in 18:07 and 18:23.
“Jeremy, Trent and Tyler ran at the front of the pack from beginning to end,” Smith said.
Michael Wilson was Iola’s No. 4 runner Tuesday, finishing 19th in 19:28. Blaine Klubek was 24th in 19:39 and Zach St. Clair placed 32nd in 20:10.
Yates Center High’s Ceaton Cooper claimed the 17th-place medal in 19:09. Marmaton Valley High’s Marcus Miller earned the 21st medal in 19:34.
Iola’s Abigail Taylor ran the varsity race alone. Jo Lohman attempted to warm up for the race but still hampered by a knee injury.
Taylor posted a time of 16:27 for the 4K distance and captured the sixth-place medal. Yates Center’s Emily Baker placed 11th in 16:52.
Paige Denton of Fort Scott was the varsity girls’ race winner in 15:47. Pittsburg won the team title with 33 points followed by Frontenac with 43 points.
“Abigail had another quality race with a good time,” Smith said. “Southeast Kansas has some quality girls and she gets right in the thick of the race and battles to the end.”
Iola’s Shannon Vogel picked up the 14th-place medal in the girls’ junior varsity race. She ran the 4K in 20:03. Klair Vogel was 39th in 25:54 and Courtney Smith was 40th in 26:24.
Yates Center’s Sabrina Arell ran second in the girls’ junior varsity race in a time of 18:05. Marmaton Valley’s Ashtynn Louk earned the third-place medal in 18:25.
