March 29, 2024

Cardinal duo competes in first state XC meet

FORT DODGE — Newton juniors Jackson Mace-Maynard and Treycen Garton can now use their first trip to the Iowa High School State Cross Country Championships on Friday as a learning experience.

Neither Mace-Maynard nor Garton finished where they wanted to. Neither of them ran a personal-best time. But they both have another year to get back to Lakeside Golf Course and reach their goals on the state's biggest stage.

Mace-Maynard finished the Class 3A boys' 5K race in 39th place, while Garton was 68th. Both runners were faster the second time around on this course than they were earlier this month.

"I was glad to get the vibe of a state competition really," Mace-Maynard said. "I wasn't able to get that feeling for track last spring. I have never had that before. I need to block out the crowd a little more and focus more."

Mace-Maynard said a runner fell in front of him about 200 meters into the race and that threw him off a bit.

The pace early was not what either runner expected. That's something else they can take away from the experience and be better prepared for if they return next year.

"I felt pretty bad the entire time. I went out way too fast the first mile," Garton said. "Those guys were flying. I should have paced myself a little better. That hurt me for sure.

"I learned that I can't chase the front guys. I need to focus more on me and not on the guys in front of me."

Mace-Maynard expected a fast start. But it was faster than he even expected.

"You can't see how fast the others are going to get out until you are actually in the race. You can't prepare for that until you do it," Mace-Maynard said.

Mace-Maynard's time was 17 minutes, 14.6 seconds. He ran a 17:24.4 on the same course earlier this month.

Garton's time was clocked at 17:35.3 on Friday. It was 17:42.7 the first time around.

Second-ranked Nate Mueller of ADM of Adel won the 3A boys' individual title with a time of 15:28.7. Top-ranked Quinton Orr of Humboldt was second in 15:48.

Third-ranked Aidan Ramsey of DCG finished third in 16:05.5.

There were 15 seniors in front of Mace-Maynard and 26 ahead of Garton.

No. 1 Dallas Center-Grimes repeated as the team champion in 3A with 87 points. The Mustangs were at the state meet for the eighth straight season.

Third-ranked Solon, which was at state for the first time since 2010, finished second with 135 points. No. 8 Carlisle was third with 149, second-ranked Pella (157) finished fourth and No. 6 North Polk (161) came in fifth.

Both Mace-Maynard and Garton said their finishes were disappointing in relation to what their goals were coming into the day.

The results can hopefully serve as motivation for both Cardinal runners moving forward.

"I am definitely disappointed. 17:10 is a rough time," Mace-Maynard said. "Sometimes it's good to have a crappy race in your last race. Now I can get some rest and train really hard for track."

Garton added, "I'm disappointed, but I am grateful for the experience, too. I am not going to be mad about it. It was a good experience for both of us I think."