After three straight second place finishes, the No. 2 ranked Pella girls cross country team has their eyes on working to claim gold at state in 2018.
Head Coach Doug Cutler tells KNIA/KRLS Sports a talented pack of girls returns from the 2017 squad, many of whom ran varsity and shaved chunks of time off last fall.
“We’re strong, 12 to 15 [runners] deep on the girls’ side, as far as these girls would all likely be in the top seven at many surrounding schools,” he says.
The key returners for the No. 2 ranked Lady Dutch are (and 2017 state finish):
Caroline McMartin, JR (9th in 3A at state last year, ranked 7th in 2018 preseason)
Ashley Blommers, SO (15th in 3A, ranked 13th in 2018 preseason)
Chelsea Jorgensen, SO (16th in 3A, ranked 17th in 2018 preseason)
Makayla Kruse, SR (44th in 3A)
Hailey Howzan, JR (94th in 3A)
Cutler says while their long-term goal is to give themselves a shot to win state, the team will adhere to a strict training process over the next two months, with the aim of peaking at state qualifying. The Lady Dutch open the cross country season on Tuesday, August 21st at Ankeny Centennial.