Both Norwalk cross country teams will be competing at the 4A state championships in Fort Dodge on Saturday after qualifying this past Wednesday in Council Bluffs. 

The girls team, who narrowly missed qualifying for state as a team last season, outlasted Des Moines Roosevelt by two points in the state qualifying meet to take third and punch their team ticket to state for the first time in six years, last qualifying in 2019. Led by freshman Hannah Schmitz’s 10th-place finish, the Warrior girls had seven runners finish in the top 30 of the meet. Among them were sophomores Olive DeRocher, Gabby Drymon, and Grace Wetzeler, who all qualified for state as individuals last season. Senior Pearl Brown, who narrowly missed out on qualifying as an individual last year, finished fifth among Norwalk runners and 23rd in the meet. Head coach Michelle Wiedmann tells KNIA Sports the narrow qualification was an emotional experience for the girls team. 

“It was an amazing feeling. The results didn’t come up right away, so we were waiting, waiting, waiting, and then when they finally popped up, the cheers were very loud, we got emotional. It was very exciting; we knew it was going to be close with Roosevelt. It came out our way, so very exciting.”

The boys team had less uncertainty heading into the results, as they placed first in the qualifying meet, outperforming Dallas Center-Grimes and Ankeny Centennial, two teams ranked ahead of them. With that victory, the Warrior boys earn their second consecutive district title and seventh consecutive team state birth. Individually, all 14 boys runners finished in the meet’s top 30. They were led by senior Teegan Kralik, who placed second in the meet. He is ranked 12th in Class 4A. Head coach Chad Larson tells KNIA Sports he likes the team’s chances looking ahead to Fort Dodge.

“We’ve got some good momentum over the last few weeks, and if we can keep riding that momentum into Fort Dodge, I think we’ve got a good shot at being top-five or maybe podium. It’s within reach. We’re exactly where we wanted to be coming into this point, and hopefully we can get there this year.”

While both teams have had numerous state qualifying seasons in their history, they are still in search of their first cross country state titles.