Thu - 18 Oct
Written by Jim Ecker
MARSHALLTOWN - Linn-Mar freshman Stephanie Jenks ran so fast in the rain Thursday that she didn't get wet.
That's a slight exaggeration, but not much.
Jenks shrugged off the steady raindrops in Marshalltown and won the Class 4A state qualifier by 44 seconds to help the Lions claim the team championship.
It was a good (but soggy) day all around for the Linn-Mar cross country teams.
Josh Evans, sidelined for a month with leg and hip ailments, returned to action and helped the Lions capture the boys title by finishing second in the individual standings, just one second behind the winner.
Jenks has dominated all of her races this season and has been ranked No. 1 in the state for a month. She took command at the start Thursday and simply ran away from everyone else.
"Steph's the real deal," remarked Linn-Mar Coach Todd Goodell.
Jenks, Evans and the Lions advanced to the state meet in Fort Dodge on Saturday, Oct. 27 where they'll compete for top honors.
Jenks said she hasn't thought a whole lot about the state meet, but will now. She likes to take it "one race at a time."
"Once that race is gone and over with, I kind of forget about it and I start focusing on the next one," she said. "This race is done. I'll go home and I'll start training for state."
Jenks is a national champion in the triathlon, so she's accustomed to running and getting wet on the same day. She felt right at home at Marshalltown.
"Yeah, except we're missing the biking portion," she said with a smile. "I love running in the rain."
Jenks will run in the state meet at 11 a.m. on Oct. 27, then hustle to Iowa City to try and compete in the regional swim meet for Linn-Mar. But she won't swim at the state meet this year, even if she qualifies.
Jenks has been invited to participate in a camp at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., from Nov. 2-5 for elite triathletes, so she'll miss the state swim meet that will be held Nov. 3 in Marshalltown.
Many of the friends she's made at age-group triathlons around the country will be in Colorado Springs as well.
"I'm really, really excited," she said. "I think it will be a lot of fun."
Jenks said she had fun running in the rain and cold Thursday. The temperature was in the low 40's, and the damp conditions made it feel colder.
"Every race I go out with one goal in mind, and that is to go and run faster," she said. "Especially in cold like this, it encourages you to run faster, because the faster you run the faster you get your sweats on."
Jenks and the other runners had to be careful on the slippery course.
"It was really hard, but it was really fun and it kept me alert, making sure I didn't slip and fall and get muddy and things like that," she said.
The Linn-Mar girls claimed five spots in the top-9 with Amber Decker 3rd, Maddie Saville 4th, Rachel Perry 8th and Morgan Garcia 9th. Jenks, Decker and Garcia are all freshmen, Saville is a sophomore and Perry a junior.
If everyone stays healthy, the Lions could be one of the premier cross country teams in the state for several years to come.
Jenks covered the 4-kilometer course in exactly 14 minutes. Cedar Falls senior Allison Gregg, who finished third at the state meet last year, placed second in 14:44.
The Linn-Mar girls finished with 25 points, easily defeating Cedar Falls (63) for first place.
Evans, who was ranked No. 1 in the state after winning the prestigious Heartland Classic in Ames Sept. 15, had not run a competitive race since then while battling injuries to his left leg and right hip. He got healthy and had five days of pain-free running last week, then hurt his back in practice on Monday and was in considerable pain earlier in the week.
He said he was "a little concerned" he might have to skip the state qualifier, but his back improved with heat treatments and ultra-sound and he decided to give it a shot.
"I didn't go 100 percent, but I definitely went 99," he said. "It's just good to get a solid race under my belt."
Jaime Zarate of Cedar Falls won the five-kilometer race in 16:07. Evans was a second behind in 16:08 but did not attempt a finishing kick, content to stay as healthy as possible.
Evans said his leg and hip felt fine, but his back was a little ouchy.
"I could feel it," he said. "It wasn't bad, but I could tell it was there. Everything else felt fine. I think it (the sore back) messed up my stride just a little.
"I'm praying I can be 100 percent by state."
The runners were not able to attack the course due to the slippery conditions. The rain had abated by the time the Class 4A boys got started, but it was still tricky.
"That was rough," said Evans. "We were slipping all over the place coming around turns. So there's no way that can be good for my back."
Linn-Mar placed five runners in the top-13 to trim Cedar Falls for the team title, 35-44. Tanner Rathje finished 4th, Chase Grabau 5th, Daniel Murphy 11th and Keegan Cook 13th. Murphy also returned from hip and leg injuries to help the Lions.
CLASS 4A STATE QUALIFIER
At Marshalltown
Girls (4K)
Teams
1. Linn-Mar 25, 2. Cedar Falls 63, 3. Ankeny 84, 4. Southeast Polk 136, 5. Newton 144, 6. Waterloo West 151, 7. Marshalltown 168, 8. Ottumwa 204, 9. Mason City 220.
Top 10 Individuals
1. Stephanie Jenks, Linn-Mar 14:00
2. Allison Gregg, Cedar Falls 14:44
3. Amber Decker, Linn-Mar 15:19
4. Maddie Saville, Linn-Mar 15:34
5. Brianna King, Cedar Falls 15:37
6. Taylor Brown, Ankeny 15:40
7. Grace Coen, Newton 15:42
8. Rachel Perry, Linn-Mar 15:43
9. Morgan Garcia, Linn-Mar 15:47
10. Sammie Sproul, Waterloo West 15:55
(14. Sydney Johnston, Linn-Mar 16:18)
(19. Caitlin Novak, Linn-Mar 16:28)
Boys (5K)
Teams
1. Linn-Mar 35, 2. Cedar Falls 44, 3. Waterloo West 86, 4. Ankeny 125, 5. Mason City 152, 6. Southeast Polk 164, 7. Newton 172, 8. Marshalltown 210, 9. Ottumwa 212.
Top 10 Individuals
1. Jaime Zarate, Cedar Falls 16:07
2. Josh Evans, Linn-Mar 16:08
3. Timothy Sevcik, Cedar Falls 16:31
4. Tanner Rathje, Linn-Mar 16:37
5. Chase Grabau, Linn-Mar 16:38
6. Anthony Ohl, Waterloo West 16:39
7. Ethan Pellegrino, SE Polk 16:42
8. Cooper McDermott, Newton 16:44
9. Jonathon Smith, Cedar Falls 16:48
10. Jared Failor, Cedar Falls 16:53
(11. Daniel Murphy, Linn-Mar 16:55)
(13. Keegan Cook, Linn-Mar 17:02)
(14. Kyle Read, Linn-Mar 17:03)
(15. Michael Mather, Linn-Mar 17:03)
