Shown are: Front from left, Dalton Winegar, Morgan Hay, Isabelle Vos, Emma Parkinson, Breah Lowry, Mandeesa Vos, Katelyn Nikkel, Hayden Lewis; back, Keegan Schnell, Andrew Arkema, Colton Alberts, Evan Arkema, Peyton Sharp, Will Conover, Ethan Dunsbergen, Blake Wilmesmeier, Sam Terlouw, Madden Gunsaulus, and Jordan Dunsbergen.
Nearly one year after sending both the boys and girls cross-country teams to the Class 1A State Meet for the first time in 29 years, the Hawks did it again. On Thursday, Oct. 23, the Lynnville-Sully boys and girls cross-country teams, coached by Darin and Anna Arkema, punched their tickets to the State Meet with second-place team finishes at the District Meet held at North Linn.
The Lynnville-Sully teams each claimed second place to earn their team qualification. The girls placed second out of 11 teams, and the boys placed second out of 15 teams.
Two Hawk girls placed in the top-10 to earn individual qualification – junior Emma Parkinson (fifth place) and sophomore Mandeesa Vos (eighth place). Parkinson raced with the top eight runners immediately at the gun and stayed within distance of the second-place runner throughout the race, placing fifth in 20:39. Vos crept her way into the top-10 and never lost sight of it, placing eighth in a time of 21:13.
For the L-S boys, junior Colton Alberts led the Hawks with a phenomenal showing on Thursday. Alberts crossed the finish line first to claim the title of the male District Champion and an individual State Qualifier after his quick time of 17:13. Coach Arkema said the Hawks’ top runner was not phased when another runner took the lead in the second mile. Alberts maintained contact and moved back to the front in the last half mile to secure the victory. Blake Wilmesmeier, also a junior, also had a memorable finish at the District Meet. Wilmesmeier was coming down the homestretch in third place. With the potential runner-up fading, Wilmesmeier put together a “furious final kick” to secure a 1-2 Hawk finish. He clocked in at 17:28 for runner-up honors and individual qualification.
L-S cross-country teams and coaches are now preparing to leave their mark at the final race of the 2025 season. The Hawks will run at the Class 1A State Cross-Country Meet on Saturday, Nov. 1, at Kennedy Park/Lakeside Golf Course in Fort Dodge. The girls will run at 2 p.m. followed by the boys race at 2:45 p.m. Tickets must be purchased online at Bound.
