PCM’s Teeter punches ticket to state XC meet

PELLA — PCM head cross country coach Eric Karr’s spreadsheet told him freshman Abi Teeter would finish anywhere from 12th to 18th in the girls’ 5K race in the Class 2A state qualifier at the Pella Sports Park on Thursday.

“We came in with the idea that we had a chance there and we needed to get up into the top 10 and compete,” Karr said. “I don’t look at times all that much. Abi has been top 15 in literally every meet this year though.”

She stayed in the top 15 once again and her 14th-place finish clinched a spot in next week’s state cross country meet.

Teeter needed a personal-best time to make it, and she came through with the best run of her young career.

“It feels really good. It’s one of those things where you say to yourself, ‘I did it,’” Teeter said. “We really thought a low 21 would get me to state. So that’s what we worked on in practice. We worked on speed stuff and that helped.”

Teeter’s official time was clocked in a personal-best 21 minutes, 2.95 seconds. Running 21:06 earlier this season at Pleasantville gave Teeter hope she could be a state qualifier in her first prep season.

“I told her a low 21 should get her in. I think she came around at mile one at 7 minutes and was at 12 minutes at mile two,” Karr said. “She had about a half mile to go, and I told her to stay with the pack she was in and we’d get it. That’s what she did.”

Teeter was the only state cross country qualifier from PCM. The Mustang girls’ squad placed seventh in the 11-team field and the boys were 12th in the 12-team field.

The top three teams and top 15 individuals clinched berths into the state meet. PCM’s next best finishes after Teeter were Raegan Vannoy in 30th, Makayla True in 31st and Coby DeRaad in 34th.

Class 2A No. 2 Mid-Prairie won the girls’ district title with 49 points. Sixth-ranked Albia (54) was second and No. 11 Pella Christian (84) was the final qualifying team in third.

The rest of the 11-team field included No. 14 Union Community (107), GCGR (130), Davis County (143), PCM (190), West Marshall (196), Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont (233), Cardinal (282) and Interstate 35 (288).

Top-ranked Danielle Hostetler of Mid-Prairie won the girls’ 5K race in 19:08.13. No. 19 McKenna Montgomery of Albia placed second in 20:11.67 and No. 9 Abby Fleming of Mid-Prairie took third in 20:21.6.

The difference between ninth place and the 15th and final qualifying spot was around just 5 seconds. There were five ranked runners in the girls’ race.

Teeter hit the finish line in a pack of three or four runners separated by around a second. The only strategy she had for the race was to mark up a runner from Albia and stay as close to her as possible.

“I tried to stay with the Albia girl in front of me,” Teeter said. “I have raced her three times and she’s almost always one place ahead of me every time. I knew we were close.

“I have worked all season for this and I didn’t want it to slip away from me. Staying with that Albia girl really helped.”

Karr had his top female runner 15th at the finish line. It was tough to figure out just who hit the line first between that pack of three or four runners.

“She ran a fantastic race,” Karr said. “I hate to say she deserved it, but she got what she worked for.”

Vannoy’s 30th-place finish came in a time of 22:39.34. True was 31st in 22:40.24.

The other two scoring runners were Riley DeVore (25:25.26) in 59th and Alyce Engle (26:17.21) in 66th.

Lexi Fagg (27:08.03) was 70th and Jillian Fairbanks (27:50.46) placed 76th as the Mustangs’ non-scoring runners.

“Our top three ran well,” Karr said. “With those three, and everyone but two seniors, coming back next year I do think we are setting up to have a big future.”

Class 2A No. 3 Danville/New London won the boys’ district title with 61 points. Ninth-ranked Pella Christian (73) finished second and 14th-ranked Mid-Prairie (81) took third.

Class 2A No. 8 GCGR (89) came in fourth and the rest of the 12-team field included Interstate 35 (94), Albia (146), Davis County (154), Central Lee (263), West Marshall (266), Union Community (281), Van Buren (290) and PCM (307).

There were seven ranked runners in the boys’ race. Class 2A No. 7 AJ Bonnesen of Danville/New London won the race in 16:27.67 and No. 15 Kaden Van Wyngarden of Pella Christian was the runner-up in 16:41.51.

DeRaad’s 34th-place finish was clocked in 19:08.23. The 15th and final qualifying time was 17:44.34.

“He wasn’t happy with it, but he had a fantastic season,” Karr said about DeRaad. “You can’t be upset and throw away the season because you had one off race.”

Carson Taylor (21:02.89) finished 70th, Charlie Ford (21:18.56) placed 72nd, Leighton McClure (21:33.83) came in 75th and Wyatt Vannoy (22:33.84) was the final scoring runner in 80th.

Carter Dudley (23:30.67) and Jacob Buys (26:13.09) were non-scoring runners in 82nd and 87th, respectively.

PCM’s boys’ squad includes three sophomores and four freshmen.

“We are a very realistic team and the reality on the boys’ side was that we really didn’t have a strong chance to qualify,” Karr said. “That doesn’t mean we don’t show up and try to run our best times. It’s still a race and wouldn’t you rather run the best race you’ve had in your life or in your season, and end that way? We just had to go for it.”

The only two seniors on either squad are DeVore and Fairbanks.

“That’s the hardest part about being a coach. I do not like the end of seasons for that aspect,” Karr said. “It absolutely sucks to lose seniors. The two who ran tonight are fantastic human beings. They are really good kids who will be successful in life and it stinks to lose them.”

Teeter will run in the 2A girls’ state race at 2 p.m. on Friday at Lakeside Municipal Golf Course in Fort Dodge.