Steines, Bendgen win 1A cross country titles
FORT DODGE − Calamus-Wheatland runner Noelle Steines has come up with a successful formula to finish the cross country season.
Get hurt. Don’t run in September. Win state.
Steines claimed the 1A girls individual state championship for the third year in a row Friday at the state cross country meet.
Steines won last year’s meet despite hurting her knee and missing more than a month of competition. This year she hurt her ankle early in September and did not run a race for the rest of the month.
When Steines came back, she was not even close to No. 1 runner Meghan Wheatley of North Linn. On Friday that all changed, as she ran a 5k time of 18:22 to beat Wheatley by 13.6 seconds for her third title in a row.
“I didn’t think I could do it,” said Steines. “Meghan is such a phenomenal runner. She beat me at conference by over a minute and she beat at districts by over a minute. She’s someone to be intimidated by and I was intimidated. (But) my mom said just go out and run. The feeling afterwards — nothing beats it. But it’s so hard to get here.”
Steines won the 2022 1A girls race by less than three seconds over SibleyOcheyedan’s Madison Brouwer. That she was able to win the 2023 race by more than that over Wheatley, who had broken 18 minutes during the season, coming off yet another injury is something Steines still cannot comprehend.
“It’s a privilege even running right now after two major injuries,” Steines said. “I was feeling really defeated. This was amazing.”
Wheatley ran an 18:35.6 Friday. Manson Northwest Webster’s was third in 18:53.2.
Madrid won the 1A girls team championship. The Tigers scored 97 points to beat South Winneshiek (123) and Beckman Catholic (125) for the title.
Woodbine’s Landon Bendgen repeats as 1A boys’ champion
It was not as nice outside as it was during his first championship, but Woodbine’s Landon Bendgen will take his repeat 1A boys championships performance.
Bendgen finished Friday’s 1A boys’ race with a 5k time of 15:55.53 to edge Grundy Center’s Emerson Vokes (16:02.5) for his second title in a row. Bendgen’s time was a tad faster than last year’s winning time of 15:58.11.
“The race didn’t feel great — It was really cold and my face and everything is numb — but it just feels great to get two in a row,” Bendgen said. “I’m super stoked.”
Bendgen overcame the weather to run his race, and that was enough to get the job done.
“It was just stay patient through the wind and hills,” Bendgen said. “I closed really well. It worked out in the end.”
Wapsie Valley’s Aidan Shannon came in third behind Bendgen and Vokes with a time of 16:09.3.
Lake Mills claimed the 1A boys’ team championship. The Bulldogs scored 111 points to beat ACGC by 26 points for first.