The MFL MarMac girls cross country team is returning to the Iowa High School State Cross Country Championships. A year after breaking through for the first time in several decades, the Bulldogs again punched their ticket by securing the third and final spot at the Class 2A state qualifying meet at Monticello on Oct. 22.
MFL MarMac’s score of 107 was two points back of runner-up Denver and just four ahead of conference rival Waukon. With three runners in the top 10, host Monticello easily took first with 62 points.
Propelling the Bulldogs to that third-place team finish were a trio of individual qualifiers: seniors McKenna Kozelka and Brooke Donlon and junior Evie Fritz. Kozelka was 13th with a time of 20:30, and Donlon and Fritz were right behind her in 14th and 15th with nearly identical marks of 20:34.2 and 20:34.3, just a tenth of a second ahead of Dike-New Hartford’s Olivia Petullo.
Donlon said the finish was a whirl.
“Our first lap, Evie and I were running right next to each other. Evie was like, ‘Come on, we have to go together.’ Honestly, at the end, I didn’t know who was behind me until we crossed the line,” she shared.
“When you get toward the end, you don’t really realize who’s by you,” Fritz added. “You just go.”
After those three, freshmen Mackenzie Birdnow and Trinly Trappe were next across the line. Birdnow finished 29th with a time of 21:45, while Trappe turned in a 22:27 for 37th place. Sophomore Brooklyn Landt completed the race in 22:52, placing her 42nd.
Junior Charlotte Meyer, an individual qualifier a year ago and a member of the state team with Donlon, Fritz and Landt, did not finish. She’d been the Bulldogs’ top runner at many races this season, even breaking the school record twice. It was an off night, but her teammates said Meyer continually pushed them in practice and at meets to help them reach this point.
“Even though Charlotte didn’t have her best night, she’s the reason we did,” Fritz said.
In fact, said head coach Eric Koenig, the three individual qualifiers would have all bested that previous school record that night. Along with Meyer, “to have four girls who beat the school record, that’s pretty impressive. And we beat our conference champion [Waukon].”
Assistant coach Megan Schellhorn said MFL MarMac’s qualification speaks to the team’s depth.
“It’s not just about one, but the team and the depth of the program,” Schellhorn said.
Kozelka described the team as “an amazing group of girls.”
“Everybody has put in so much work, and they’re so passionate about the sport. It’s really more of a family than a team. I’m just so proud seeing how everybody finished and that all our hard work paid off,” she said.
As the youngest, Birdnow and Trappe felt that family-like atmosphere all season, thanks to the older runners.
“They were very welcoming and very helpful. It felt really good,” Birdnow said.
“They really push us, and it’s exciting to get to experience state with all of them,” added Trappe.
Landt believes qualifying for state in such a tough district showed how bad the Bulldogs wanted it. MFL MarMac, Monticello, Denver, Waukon and fifth place Oelwein were all ranked in the latest Class 2A girls rankings from the Iowa Association of Track Coaches.
“It shows who we are as individuals and as a team,” Landt said.
The Bulldogs will run in the state meet this Friday, Oct. 30. The Class 2A girls race begins at 2 p.m. at Lakeside Municipal Golf Course in Fort Dodge.
This week, Kozelka said the team will rest up, but also work to shake out nerves and anxiety.
Koenig noted it helps that four of the seven have run at state before.
“Last year, we were really nervous going into the race. We’re going to be ready to run this time,” he quipped.
After finishing 15th a season ago, they have their sights set higher.
“I don’t think these girls are going to be happy just being there this year,” Schellhorn said.
