FORT DODGE

Making her first appearance at state, Marie Yoder was greeted by windy weather that can be best described as fiercely frigid, but this did not deter the Hillcrest freshman. 

Yoder, pushing herself past the chilly elements and the challenging competition, set a new personal best at the 1A state cross-country championship meet, placing 13th in 19:41 on Oct. 27. 

“I never push myself that hard, especially in the first mile,” Yoder said after the race. “It was pretty fast, like 6:08, and it definitely hurt more than most races have, but it was really good overall.”  

“It’s just uncomfortable,” Hillcrest coach Martin Gingerich said about racing in cold weather. “But running a 5k all out is uncomfortable.” 

Competing against the best runners the state has to offer; Yoder ran the best race of her young high school career and in doing so she earned all-state honors with her top 15 finish. 

“Marie was awesome today, she had a big PR, just ran very well and in strong competition and challenging weather. It was a great day for Marie,” coach Gingerich said.

This race featured 158 runners and after the one-mile mark Yoder found herself in 19th place. She was able to move into 17th place at the two-mile mark. By the time she crossed the finish line she improved her placement by four spots. 

In addition to this race being a season and career best for Yoder, it also set a new Raven girl’s school record. Her time at state now stands alone in the school history books as the fastest finish in a 5k cross-country race. 

Among the top 15 finishers Yoder was one of three freshmen to earn a medal. 

“I think it’s really cool because I didn’t think I was going to be able to get top 15, but I’m glad I could prove myself wrong,” Yoder said.  

Winning the race with an individual state champion time of 18:22 was Calamus-Wheatland junior Noelle Steines. Steines entered the race ranked No. 2 in Class 1A. The No. 1 ranked runner, senior Meghan Wheatley, finished as the runner-up in 18:35. 

Yoder was Hillcrest’s lone representative at state, but she wasn’t the only Raven to make the trip to Fort Dodge. Her cross-country teammates tagged along, and they made sure to cheer for her and celebrate with her along the way.

“Top 15 is not a huge surprise for me. Her goal was top 30 and a PR, which was 20:22 and she was 13th with 19:41,” coach Gingerich said. “So, she just smashed those and it’s fun to see her be able to do this and celebrate and also to see her classmates celebrate with her.” 

In her first year of cross-country Yoder has found her fair share of success and it wouldn’t come as a surprise if a visit to the state meet became a more common occurrence in her future. 

“I loved the cross-country season,” Yoder said. “It was really fun to get to know all these other people and just have a great time.”