State-ranked PCM girls finish third at Big Red Invitational

MORAVIA — The PCM girls cross country team had another opportunity to prove it belongs in the Class 2A state rankings on Tuesday.

The Mustangs competed against two other ranked schools at the Big Red Invitational and finished third but came in ahead of 3A Oskaloosa and 4A Ottumwa and were once again in front of Pella Christian and Davis County in the final standings.

The PCM boys also faced three ranked teams and ended up 10th in the 16-team field at Honey Creek State Park.

Class 2A No. 18 PCM scored 112 points in third and trailed 3A No. 19 Fort Madison (95) by 17 points.

Class 2A No. 3 Albia was the girls’ winner with 55 points after placing three runners in the top eight.

Oskaloosa (130) and Pella Christian (152) completed the five-team field. Ottumwa (157), Davis County (167), Keokuk (167), Central Decatur (176), Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont (218), Kirksville (Mo.) (300), Wayne (331), Knoxville (336) and Chariton (421) finalized the 14-team field.

Tiffani Koonce was the lone medalist for the Mustangs. She finished 11th in the girls’ 5K race with a time of 20 minutes, 42.06 seconds.

Lila Milani was next in 17th with a time of 21:19.41 and Ali Hilsabeck (21:33.34), Bailey Wheeler (21:33.96) and Abi Teeter (21:58.6) also were faster than 22 minutes in 27th, 28th and 39th, respectively.

Makayla True (22:51.44) and Raegan Vannoy (22:55.8) were non-scoring runners in 44th and 47th, respectively.

Class 2A No. 4 McKenna Montgomery of Albia won the girls’ race in 18:46.05 and 3A No. 2 Avery Rump of Fort Madison was the runner-up in 19:23.31.

Coby DeRaad headlined the PCM boys in 23rd. He finished in 17:50.85.

Joe Shaver (19:18.11), Leighton McClure (19:27.03), Charlie Ford (19:56.92) and Kolby Clark (20:30.65) were the other scoring runners in 53rd, 56th, 63rd and 71st, respectively. Gabe Nessa (20:46.27) was a non-scoring runner in 77th.

Class 2A No. 3 Chariton put all five scoring runners in the first 17 positions and won the boys’ team title with 51 points.

Class 3A No. 15 Fort Madison scored 62 points in second after finishing 1-4-9 and 2A No. 16 Pella Christian was third with 76 points. The Eagles put four runners in the first 18 spots.

The rest of the top five featured Albia (140) and Oskaloosa (144). The remaining field included Davis County (158), Knoxville (168), Kirksville (245), Ottumwa (251), PCM (258), Wayne (267), Keokuk (366), Central Decatur (383), EBF (414), Moravia (420) and Moulton-Udell (442).

Fort Madison’s Jacob Shottenkirk won the boys’ race in 16:30.13 and 2A No. 23 David Crabb of Albia was the runner-up in 16:46.39.