Oskaloosa’s Lane Smith Qualifies for State Cross Country Meet for Second Straight Year
WASHINGTON, Iowa – Oskaloosa High School cross country runner Lane Smith is returning to the state championships after finishing fourth at the Class 3A State Qualifying Meet on Wednesday, October 21, in Washington.
Smith finished the five-kilometer course in 16 minutes and 13 seconds, earning his second straight trip to the Iowa High School State Cross Country Championships.
This result was better than last year’s state qualifying meet, when Smith placed ninth with a time of 16:36.99.
Oskaloosa cross country coach Comfort praised Smith for running a strong and determined race against some of the area’s top competitors.
Coach Comfort said Smith kept up with the leaders for the first two miles, then pushed through a tough final mile to finish fourth.
The coach also praised Smith’s finishing time and called it an excellent performance on the Washington course.
Both Oskaloosa Teams Finish Eighth
While Smith qualified for state as an individual, both the Oskaloosa boys and girls teams finished eighth out of 13 teams at the qualifying meet.
The Indians competed against schools from all over southeastern and central Iowa.
The meet took place at Washington Golf & Country Club. The top three teams and top 15 individual finishers in Class 3A qualified for the state championships.
Although neither Oskaloosa team qualified as a group, Smith’s fourth-place finish means the Indians will still be represented at Fort Dodge.
Young Teams Look Toward the Future
Since the qualifying meet ended the season for most Oskaloosa runners, Coach Comfort also looked ahead to the program’s future.
Only one senior ran for the Indians at Wednesday’s meet, so most of the team is young and will have chances to return next season.
Comfort thinks the program has a bright future, especially with several talented runners getting ready to move up from Oskaloosa’s middle school cross country team.
However, the coach said future success will depend on how much work the athletes do in the offseason.
Regular summer running and conditioning will be important as the Indians get ready for the 2027 season.
Smith Heads to Fort Dodge October 31st
Smith will now focus on the Class 3A State Cross Country Championships, which take place Saturday, October 31, at Kennedy Park’s Lakeside Municipal Golf Course in Fort Dodge.
The Class 3A boys’ race is scheduled to begin at 11:15 a.m.
