Girls rule the roost for Falcon XC

Published by editor on Thu, 08/24/2023 - 2:13pm

Front row left to right: Lauren Carney, Kendall Riherd, Jenna Lupkes, Lexi Aswegen, Estelle Cashatt. Second row: Sara Eilers, Ada Switzer, Finely Groeneveld, Jordan Trueblood, Quinnlyn Schultz. Third row: Olivia Petersen, Kaylee Stahl, Megan Junker, Eva Walker, Ciara Troyna. Fourth row (junior high): Aubree Weber, Ireland Cashatt, Owen Price, Violet Berends, Lorna Bernard, Bella Bernard, Stella Walker, Charlee Endleman, Bella Stahl. Not pictured: Ashley Schipper, Ellie Price, Jonah Carney, Aaron Stickfort, Isaac Foxen, Landon Reynolds, Elliot Bieber, Sydney Sharp. Photo submitted.

By:

CJ Eilers

Regional Sports Editor

2022 Results: Girls 9th and Boys 9th in NICL Conference Meet

Head Coach: Jonna Junker

Aplington-Parkersburg cross country’s 2022 seniors knew they likely weren’t State teams last season. That didn’t stop them from performing at their best and coach Jonna Junker praised that group as “hard working” and focused on putting their best foot forward.

“Everyone went out and tried to improve on their time from the meet before,” Junker said. “Not being a state team didn’t stop them from plugging away at PRs. It was senior leadership we will miss.”

The girls return two experienced varsity runners in Ashley Schipper and Lexi Aswegan as seniors. Lauren Carney joined the program last year as a junior and multi-sport athlete Kendall Riherd will go out her senior year. Junior Quinnlyn Schultz dealt with injuries last season and looks to be healthy for her junior season. With four seniors graduated off last year’s team, younger girls and returning JV runners have a chance at a varsity spot.

“These returning seniors will have to be strong leaders and bring up the younger girls while showing them how things are done,” Junker said. “We are fairly young, so we’ll figure out our top seven after a couple meets. Quinnlyn didn’t run half the meets last season, so it's good to have her back healthy and she's looking really good.”

The boys return sophomore Jonah Carney and junior Isaac Foxen after five seniors graduated from the varsity team after last season. Freshman Aaron Stickfort has only been through a few practices, but Junker believes the recent A-P transfer will contribute “quite a bit.” Sophomore Landon Reynolds is the fourth and final boy on the team, meaning the Falcons will not be able to score as a team this season.

“Unfortunately, you need five runners to put up a team score, so it will be a season of growth for the boys,” Junker said. “It’s been exciting to see them run and hopefully numbers change for the better next season.”

While both teams look to rebuild from heavy losses after the 2022 season, they will continue to compete in a tough NICL conference with schools such as Denver, Grundy Center and Jesup fielding strong teams and individuals.

“My goals are to see these kids run their best, encourage each other and be positive,” Junker said. “The junior high kids spend a lot of time around the high school kids. We want to show those younger runners how a meet goes and strongly encourage them to keep with the sport. Cross country is tough physically and mentally. So that positivity and encouragement is necessary if we want to be successful.

Aplington-Parkersburg cross country will open their season at a meet in Hampton hosted by Iowa Falls-Alden/AGWSR on Saturday, Aug. 26.

2023 Aplington-Parkersburg Cross Country Schedule

Thursday, Aug. 24 @ Hampton

Thursday, Aug. 31 @ South Hardin

Tuesday, Sept. 5 @ Wartburg

Tuesday, Sept. 12 @ Starmont

Monday, Sept 18 @ Denver

Thursday, Sept. 21 @ Grundy Center

Tuesday, Sept. 26 @ Jesup

Tuesday, Oct. 3 @ Dike-New Hartford

Thursday, Oct. 12 NICL Meet @ Dike-New Hartford

Thursday, Oct. 19 State Qualifying TBD