Hillcrest Hosts Invitational Cross Country Meet
October 2, 2023
Hillcrest Academy hosted its annual Invitational Cross Country meet Monday on campus. The meet featured two junior high school races and four high school races. 423 runners finished the six races. Pella Green won the boys team title with Mediapolis placing second. Hillcrest Academy placed tenth in the eleven team field. Micah Gerber was the first Raven to cross the finish line. He placed twenty eighth in 19:41. Gerber ran the course thirty seconds faster than he did at the Early Bird meet five weeks ago on the same course. Jesse Blossom also ran a great race finishing in 20:30 for forty-second place. Blossom was nearly one minute faster than his Early Bird time. Isaac Beachy was next for the Ravens placing sixty-fourth in 22:43. Beachy clocked the course forty-four seconds faster than he did at the Early Bird meet. Senior Mason Swartzendruber tested the waters in his first cross country race. Swartzendruber placed sixty-seventh in 23:06. Braden Hartsock completed the team scoring placing seventy-second in 24:49. Hartsock took over one minute off his Early Bird meet time. Pella sophomore Canaan Dunham won the race in a course record time of 16:21:54. Chase Lauman of Pella set the previous record of 16:31 in 2022.
In the boys JV race Micah Kacmarynski placed thirty-ninth in a personal best time of 25:59. Alex Castillo placed forty-sixth in 27:45.
Boys Results
Micah Gerber 28th 19:41
Jesse Blossom 42nd 20:30
Isaac Beachy 64th 22:43
Mason Swartzendruber 67th 23:06
Braden Hartsock 72nd 24:49
Team Scores
Pella Green 21
Mediapolis 81
Pella White 82
Mount Pleasant 104
Danville 157
Fairfield 163
Louisa-Muscatine 197
HLV 197
North Mahaska 239
Hillcrest 256
West Liberty 283
Marie Yoder again led the Lady Ravens with a great race on the challenging Hillcrest course on a warm Monday afternoon. Yoder placed fifth in 21:01. This was thirty-four seconds faster than her time at the Hillcrest Early Bird meet. She was the only runner in the top twelve who wasn’t wearing a Pella jersey. Rya Scott was the next Lady Raven to finish placing twenty-eighth in 25:09. Delaney Shaw placed forty-fourth in 26:35. Shaw was over ninety seconds faster than her Early Bird time this year. Brynna O’Rourke took nearly two minutes off her Early Bird time to finish in 27:58 for fifty-seventh place. Niva Helmuth came through to help out her fellow Ravens by finishing the race in 33:52 for seventieth place. This was Helmuth’s first cross country race and it was Hillcrest’s first team score this season. The Lady Ravens placed seventh in the nine team field placing above Mount Pleasant and Wapello. Pella fielded two complete varsity squads taking both first and second places in the team standings. Sophomore Marissa Ferebee of Pella won the race for the second time. Her time this year was 20:20.
Girls Results
Marie Yoder 5th 21:01
Rya Scott 28th 25:09
Delaney Shaw 44th 26:35
Brynna O’Rourke 57th 27:58
Niva Helmuth 70th 33:52
Team Scores
Pella Green 16
Pella White 56
English Valleys 120
Fairfield 128
Danville 140
Mediapolis 157
Hillcrest 165
Mt. Pleasant 201
Wapello 207
The Hillcrest Academy teams have their next competition at the Southeast Iowa Super Conference meet at Central Lee campus in rural Donnellson Thursday October 5. The first high school race is at 5:10.
Boys JH Complete Results
Girls JH Complete Results
Boys JV Complete Results
Girls JV Complete Results
Boys V Complete Results
Girls V Complete Results
