Bombers Finish High In 3A Field At Fort Dodge

Ballard Scores 318 Team Points

October 6, 2023

The women's cross country team finished 11th at a loaded Fort Dodge Invitational on Thursday evening. The Bombers would place 11th overall, tops for 3A schools at the meet. Johnston won the meet scoring 74 team points.

Ava Vance finished 18th in a time of 19:18.0. Annika Larson ran a time of 19:42.9 for a 40th place finish.

The Bombers are back in action on Tuesday - October 10 when they host the Raccoon River Conference Meet. The middle school, junior varsity, and varsity will race and the action starts at 4:00 PM.

Comments From Head Coach Scott Barth:

"The girls placed 11th out of 15 schools, of which, 15 were ranked. We were the top team in class 3A at the meet and defeated the #3 ranked ADM team in the process. Ava Vance continued on her hot streak placing 18th in a new career PR of 19:18. She ran a really smart and composed race and is rounding into a top contender in class 3A. Annika Larson made a solid return to competition after an injury set her back the last few weeks. She placed 40th in a time of 19:42 and felt good in the process. Having her back and getting healthier puts us off to a great start. Brynn Wilson, who was ranked in the latest state class 3A rankings, continued to elevate her performance placing 65th in a career PR of 20:12. Ava Richardson ran a steady race for us placing 90th in a time of 20:45. Our freshmen trio of Kya Hermann, Raya Miller and Grace Grundmeyer, continued to show improvement with times of 21:27, 21:49 and 22:21. Those are career PR's for both Kya and Grace.

Like I said, I am pleased with our performance and think we are heading in the right direction. Having Annika back and on the mend is really important for us as it gives us one of the best 1-2 punches in state class 3A. The development of the rest of the team has also encouraged me. We ran 15 girls in the meet yesterday and 9 of them set career or season PR's on a windy night. The strength of our girls program is consistency. Consistent effort. Consistent positivity. Consistent culture. Consistent growth. They always want to do their best and never have an excuse. That is what makes them so good. Their drive is phenomenal and it shows as they develop over the course of their season and career."

FORT DODGE INVITATIONAL WOMEN'S TEAM SCORES (Top 10)

1. Johnston, 74

2. Dallas Center-Grimes, 86

3. West Des Moines Valley, 111

4. Ankeny Centennial, 126

5. Ankeny, 132

6. Waukee, 199

7. Indianola, 229

8. Waukee Northwest, 231

9. Dowling Catholic, 259

10. Ames, 267

11. Ballard, 318