The MFL MarMac girls cross country team has qualified for state for the first time since 1993 and the first time in the three-mile era.

The Bulldogs punched their ticket after placing third at the Class 2A state qualifying meet in Oelwein on Oct. 23, their score of 106 edging fourth-place Monticello by five points. Waukon took the top spot with a score of 49, followed by Crestwood at 87, making it an Upper Iowa Conference sweep for the top three. 

Sophomore Charlotte Meyer also qualified individually after placing 11th with a personal record time of 20:40. 

“We needed Charlotte to show up today. She had to do what she did last week [placing 10th at the Upper Iowa Conference meet], and she did,” said head coach Eric Koenig. “I’m very proud of her for taking it for the team and getting us a good placing. She would have qualified for state on her own.”

Meyer was one of multiple MFL MarMac runners who turned in personal or season bests that day.

“We knew who our competition was and had that in the back of our minds to attack throughout the race,” said senior Cora Keehner, who’s making a return trip to state after qualifying as a freshman.

Two Bulldogs finished in the top 20 after Meyer, with sophomore Evie Fritz 18th thanks to a PR time of 21:25.5 and junior Brooke Donlon 20th in 21:40.2—also a personal best.

Freshman Brooklyn Landt and Keehner crossed the finish line a respective 28th and 29th with times of 21:53.3 and 21.59.6. That was a PR for Landt and season best for Keehner.

A 22:19.2 propelled sophomore Taryn Moser to 38th place, while junior Samantha Ruff was 51st with a personal best 22:55.5. 

The Bulldogs have been ranked as a team at points throughout the season, led by individually-ranked junior McKenna Kozelka, who turned in a string of top-10 finishes before suffering an injury. 

Her loss forced the team to reevaluate, but showed the Bulldogs’ depth, according to Koenig.

“You look back a month ago and this isn’t the team we expected to see,” he said. “When McKenna went down, I think everyone was like, ‘What’s that do for our team standings?’ Last week [at conference] it was, ‘Wow, we can really do this without her.’ We handily beat Cresco. We didn’t get them today, but we did what we had to do. These girls showed up when they needed to.”

The accomplishment means a lot to the athletes, who credited an atmosphere of hard work and positivity for their collective success.

Said Keehner, “This means a lot to me because all these girls have pushed themselves really hard this year.”

Moser agreed. “All these girls have given a lot of hard work. We really deserve this.”

Donlon said they push not just themselves, but one another. 

“We’ve been trying our very best this season to help each other get better, and we finally did it,” she remarked. “It’s rewarding being on a team that’s so positive.”

Ruff, one of the team veterans, said qualifying for state has long been a personal and team goal. She’s excited that “we’re finally getting to accomplish it.”

Meyer echoed that.

“This means a lot to me because I’ve always wanted to go to state. I put in a lot of work over the summer and it’s paid off,” she said.

Landt and Fritz had never run cross country—or longer distances—prior to this season. They thanked their more experienced teammates for supporting them as they learned the ropes.

“The best thing for me was being with everyone who’s been in this for longer who has been pushing me through it,” Landt shared.

“I didn’t know what I was getting myself into this season,” Fritz acknowledged, “but now I’m going to state with these awesome girls.”

The Bulldogs are also humbled—and motivated—by history. 

“We had high hopes, but anything can happen in a race. Knowing that we haven’t qualified for state since the early 90s helped us,” Landt said. “It’s cool to be the first team who’s done it in this era.”

The state cross country championship meet will be held over two days, from Friday, Oct. 31 to Saturday, Nov. 1, at Lakeside Municipal Golf Course in Fort Dodge. MFL MarMac will run in the Class 2A girls race at 10:30 a.m. on Friday.

The girls’ goals are to continue chasing PRs and to have fun.

Koenig said the sheer number of spectators and runners will make for a unique experience. 

“You’re never running alone. It’s quite the spectacle, and I don’t know if that can be taught,” Koenig said. “Cora has been a part of it and knows what to expect, but it’s a completely different race, so we’ll have to mentally prepare for that.”