ADM's Nate Mueller

Several Dallas County schools took part in State Cross Country qualifying meets Thursday evening, and many athletes advanced to the big race to be held next month in Fort Dodge.

The Perry Cross Country team had one runner make it to State, with sophomore Jaylene Karolus finishing 9th in the class 3A girls qualifying run at Atlantic. At that same location, Adel-DeSoto-Minburn girls qualified as a team with an overall finish of 3rd. They also had three athletes advance individually, including junior Nate Mueller, who finished first in the boys race, and freshman Geneva Timmerman and junior Hannah Welch, who finished 5th and 15th, respectively. Finally, the Dallas Center-Grimes team competed at Pella, and qualified as a team on the strength of overall first place finishes in both the boys and girls events. They are also sending all seven members of their girls team individually, including Megan Sterbenz, Miranda Muhlstein, Hannah Little, Emma Angus, Meredith McDermott, Lara Kallem, and Kami Smith, who finished 1st, 3rd, 5th, 8th, 9th, 11th, and 14th, respectively. Four DCG boys qualified individually, including Aiden Ramsey, Bradley Ramsey, Jacob Storey, and Owen Pries, who finished 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 10th, respectively.

In order to make it to State, runners had to finish in the top 15 of their qualifying meet, and teams had to finish in the top three overall. The State Cross Country Meet will be held Saturday, November 2nd at the Lakeside Golf Course at Kennedy Park in Fort Dodge. The event will run from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. with different start times for the class 3A boys and girls races.