Oskaloosa Middle School Cross Country Shines in Season Opener at Fairfield

The Oskaloosa Middle School cross country teams kicked off their season with strong performances at the Fairfield meet on September 12, 2024. With athletes showing significant improvements and several top-25 finishes, the future looks bright for the Oskaloosa runners.

Coach Betsy Luck was thrilled with the team’s effort, particularly noting the growth of the 8th graders. “It was great to see the team competing,” she said. “There were some huge time improvements by the 8th graders, which is great to see the growth from seventh to eighth grade. Along with all of the 7th graders, we had a few 8th graders that this was their first meet.”

For the boys, Landen Kirby led the way, finishing 16th with a time of 14:02.83, followed closely by Oliver Chilcote in 20th place (14:11.59) and Noah Ruckman in 21st (14:12.34), all securing top-25 finishes. On the girls’ side, Hazel Adam had an impressive run, finishing 13th with a time of 15:38.02. Serigha Lappin and Preslie Bryan rounded out the top finishers for the girls, placing 17th (15:47.55) and 18th (15:47.65), respectively.

Several athletes made their mark in Oskaloosa’s history books, running their way into the school’s all-time top 10 lists. Hazel Adam, Serigha Lappin, Preslie Bryan, and Peyton Clark (28th, 16:51.23) all earned spots on the girls’ top 10 list. For the boys, Landen Kirby and Noah Ruckman cracked the top 10, joining Oliver Chilcote, who had secured his place last year.

The team finished 3rd in the boys’ standings and 5th for the girls, facing tough competition from schools like Mt. Pleasant and Ft. Madison.

Looking ahead, Oskaloosa will host its only home meet of the season on Tuesday, September 17, at Edmundson Park. The middle school girls will start at 4:15 p.m., followed by the boys at 4:40 p.m. Coach Luck encouraged fans to come out and support the team, stating, “I know the team would love to see fans come out in support!”