A-P girls XC wins Spartan Invite

Megan Johnson's summer vacation included trips to the hospital operating room.

After contributing to Aplington-Parkersburg girls track and field at the state meet in the spring, Johnson went in for surgeries to address pain in both of her knees prior to the start of her junior season this fall.

As A-P girls cross country started its season without her, any physical pain from Johnson's recovery was drowned out by something deeper.

"The hardest part was that I wasn't with my team all the time, that I wasn't running with them," Johnson said. "I knew I had to be mentally strong and just push myself. Once I got back into it, I'd have to go, go, go."

Johnson made an impact in her return at Thursday's Spartan Invitational in Grundy Center.

She was one of three Falcon runners in the overall top five, including overall winner Sophia Jungling, spurring A-P to the team title.

The Falcons finished with 55 team points, ahead of runner-up Denver (63) and Hudson (66), both ranked teams in Class 1A. Lily Hovenga finished fifth in 21:21. Miranda Oldenburger was 22nd in 23:47 and Sommer Stotler placed 23rd in 23:52.

"Megan being here helps the overall team morale, knowing that she's back," A-P head coach Jason Berkey said. "She's such a competitor and they know what she'll bring to the table."

The full story is in this week's Parkersburg Eclipse.