Athletes from Pella, Indianola, and Norwalk raced against some of the best high schools in Iowa and the Midwest at the 16th Annual Heartland Classic Saturday at Central College.
In total, 1,382 athletes from 43 schools crossed the finish line, many of whom were top ranked teams and athletes from Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, and Nebraska, as well as several from Iowa.
Norwalk’s 8th ranked in Class 4A boys placed 10th in the varsity race, and the Warriors were 27th in the girls competition. Donovan Card (47th, 16:50.2) and Henry Groos (51st, 16:51.5) were the top Norwalk boys’ finishers.
Pella–ranked 4th in Class 3A, placed 20th in the boys race, and the No. 12 in 3A Dutch girls were 24th in that varsity competition. Chase Lauman, ranked 8th among 3A individuals, placed 30th (16:33.1), followed by Josiah Wittenberg in 57th (16:53.7). Pella’s Raegan Snieder continued her breakout freshman campaign, placing 27th (20:00.8), and Autumn Blink was 72nd (21:05.4).
The No. 18 in 4A Indianola boys placed 27th, led by Logan Hoger (40th – 16:46.6), and #27 ranked in 4A runner Curtis Johnson (16:54.5).