Oskaloosa’s Lane Smith Earns All-Conference Honors at Little Hawkeye Cross Country Championships
OSKALOOSA, Iowa — Oskaloosa High School junior Lane Smith earned All-Conference honors Tuesday, October 13th, with a fifth-place finish at the Little Hawkeye Conference Cross Country Championships at Edmundson Park in Oskaloosa.
Smith completed the boys’ 5,000-meter race in 16 minutes, 13 seconds, becoming the first Oskaloosa boys runner to earn All-Conference recognition since Patrick DeRonde accomplished the feat in 2021.
The Indians finished eighth out of nine teams in the boys competition, while the Oskaloosa girls placed ninth out of nine teams.
Despite the team standings, Oskaloosa head coach Mike Comfort was pleased with his runners’ performances, reporting that most of the athletes turned in their best races of the season.
Comfort emphasized that the team’s primary goal entering the challenging conference meet was to compete at its highest level and use the competition to continue improving before the upcoming state qualifying meet.
Smith provided the biggest highlight for Oskaloosa, staying with the lead group throughout the boys race and finishing just 17.5 seconds behind individual champion Noah Kerndt of Dallas Center-Grimes, who won in 15:55.5.
Comfort credited Smith for racing aggressively against some of the conference’s strongest runners and maintaining his position near the front of the field.
Junior Micah Van Ee also turned in a strong performance for the Indians, finishing 26th in 16:58.8. His time marked an important breakthrough as he finished under 17 minutes.
Freshman Abel Larson followed in 36th place with a time of 17:27.3, giving Oskaloosa three runners among the top 36 finishers.
The remaining four Oskaloosa runners finished within just over 12 seconds of one another.
Junior Ian Rosvold placed 56th in 19:05.6, followed by junior Silas Johnston in 57th at 19:11.9. Sophomore Kellen Kauzlarich finished 58th in 19:16.4, while freshman Zach Terpstra was 59th in 19:17.8.
Comfort recognized Rosvold, Johnston, Kauzlarich, and Terpstra for running together as a group and passing competitors during the second half of the race.
Oskaloosa finished with 180 team points.
Dallas Center-Grimes won the boys conference championship with 57 points, followed by Pella Christian with 89 and Des Moines Christian with 91.
Oskaloosa Girls Place Four Runners Under 23 Minutes
The Oskaloosa girls also delivered one of their stronger performances of the season, with four runners finishing the 5,000-meter course in under 23 minutes.
Junior Hazel Adam led the Indians with a 48th-place finish in 22:18.4.
Freshman Payton Clark followed in 52nd place with a time of 22:35.7, while freshman Olivia Doll finished 54th in 22:48.3.
Junior Sabrina Frost completed the race in 22:58.6 to finish 56th, giving Oskaloosa its fourth runner under the 23-minute mark.
Junior Mia Luck placed 57th in 23:34.7, and senior Ella Walter finished 60th with a time of 24:20.5.
Comfort credited Adam for her leadership and determination, particularly during the middle portion of the race.
He also recognized Clark and Doll for competing through injuries and Frost for another strong final mile.
The Indians finished with 267 team points.
Pella captured the girls conference championship with 45 points, followed by Dallas Center-Grimes with 75. Des Moines Christian and Norwalk each finished with 86 points, with Des Moines Christian taking third in the official standings.
Dallas Center-Grimes sophomore Tenley Heidgerken won the individual girls championship in 17:50.8.
Indians Prepare for State Qualifying Meet
With the conference championships completed, Oskaloosa will now turn its attention to the postseason.
Comfort believes the performances at Edmundson Park showed the progress his runners have made throughout the season, particularly in their willingness to compete against strong opponents and finish races aggressively.
The Indians will return to competition Wednesday, October 21st, at the State Qualifying Meet in Washington, Iowa, where runners will compete for an opportunity to advance to the state championships.
