Official Iowa HS XC 2023 Thread

12 meters short.

I think a lot of people would agree with this including myself. Maybe nobody from the last 20 years.

So...that being said, let's go back to 3 classes, top 2 teams and top 2 individuals and return to CHAMPIONSHIP racing instead of participation runs.

I agree

Johnston girls will win but it then goes DCG, Centennial, Senior, Valley, PV, Hempstead all within 20 points of 2nd place.

I wouldn't have included Centennial in the mix until seeing the SQM results. Maybe they do deserve to be in consideration. I think it will be Johnston, DCG, Senior, Valley, PV, Centennial, Hempstead, and then everyone else... Individually, I predict Leitzen, Dorenkamp, Helmers, Verde, Mohrhauser, Beason, and then the rest.

Leitzen lost to Wedemeyer

Leitzen paced Gehl at PV. Wedemeyer hasn't shown that she can be close to Leitzen all season.

Paced her f9r what purpose? And Wedemeyer beat Boleyn for the 1st time so she obviously made a big leap.

Is she going to pace her at state? I think it will go Dorenkamp, Verde, Helmers, Olivierre, Leitzen.

Hempstead can finish as far back as 7th or they can win if Leitzen and Gehl combine for single digits and their 4/5 have good days. Valley can come out of nowhere for a win as could Centennial.

I've seen Senior, Hempstead and PV a lot this season and I agree that Hempstead has the firepower up front to make it possible for them to win (especially now that Gehl is getting back to form after her injury), but I just don't think 4/5 have shown the ability to score low enough. I will be very surprised if Leitzen is not in the top 3, and with her 800m speed if she's in the mix near the end I don't see her losing unless Dorenkamp (or someone else) gaps her early in the race. Senior's 1-2 have been consistently good all year (with Klapatauskas beating Mohrhauser and been steps behind Helmers) but their 3-6 will need to have good days and for Senior to have a chance. I'd put PV's chances as better if Boleyn had shown the same form she had as a freshman. There's also always the question about how 9th graders will handle the pressure of the state meet (see Boleyn as a freshman!). PV and Hempstead will need freshmen to perform well to have a chance. There's also the wildcard of the course conditions... Lots of rain predicted all week. Some runners thrive in adverse conditions, and some don't.

I don't think Leitzen will beat Dorenkamp, Verde, or Helmers. She could be 4th on a good day and Gehl could be with her. PV hasn't performed well late in the year for a long time. Hempstead and Senior come on at state.

PV was second as a team just two years ago, 2021

It is the week of the state meet-- which means it is time for my annual gripe session about the location of the state meet! There are dedicated cross country courses at Iowa, Iowa State, Central, Wartburg, Luther, DMACC, and probably a couple of others that I am forgetting, and yet, the state meet is held on a golf course miles away from civilization (if you can call Dirty Dodge civilization ;) ). It's time to make the state meet a rotating event at sites that actually care about the cross country experience! Thoughts?

Correct. They beat Hempstead at Wartburg but they bombed at state as was pointed out.

They have it on 5 year cycle which is why the D1 universities can't hold it on Saturday. But they could do it in one day on Friday. I woukd prefer a Saturday meet at SEP or Dmacc or Marshalltown. Fort Dodge is ridiculous for everyone from IC or Dubuque or Davenport.

The sheer number of people it takes to host a meet of this size eliminates many from even showing interest. Fort dodge pulls together a partnership from the city and the school district. Some of the locations you have identified don't play well together.

Also, holding it in a remote location allows the state to maximize the number of admission tickets they can sell. Likewise, splitting it across two days. It will not be a one day event again unless weather consolidated the date.

If all the barriers are removed, a four year rotation between Iowa state, Univ of Iowa, marshalltown, and wartburg would be terrific. Add fort dodge even and make it a five year rotation.

How does a remote location maximize ticket sales? I know some families that don't go due to location. Many more grandparents and uncles and aunts would attend if in Des Moines.

I understand the complaint that Fort Dodge is removed and not much of a town, but it’s not as bad a choice as at least one of you is claiming.

Waverly, Pella and Marshalltown aren’t exactly bustling business hubs either. Decorah (Luther) is so far Northeast that it’s a ridiculous suggestion—over 3 hours from the Des Moines metro and 5 hours (!) from Council Bluffs. Even Sioux City to Marshalltown is a longer drive than IC or Dubuque to Fort Dodge. So if location is the main complaint, you need to find somewhere that’s very centrally located. A one-day Friday meet at ISU seems like the best proposal: a dedicated course at a major university that has hosted NCAA XC before and is almost perfectly (centrally) located. I also like Central College reasonably well because I’m fond of the course, and in terms of population distribution Pella might be more centrally located than the geographical state center.

As a course and an operation, Fort Dodge isn’t too bad. Just because it’s a golf course doesn’t necessarily make it a bad course; it has a wide, lengthy starting area, typically has decent footing, and is one of the most spectator friendly courses I can think of with tons of opportunities to see the athletes. The venue seems to me to do a fine job logistically every year. Additionally, it’s kind of nice to have the historical comparisons from running state on the same course for the last 20+ years.