By james art 
Sarah Fedderson of Gilbert at the 3A qualifying XC meet in Ames
Gilbert’s Sara Fedderson on placing third to help the Tiger girls place second as a team and qualify for state at the 3A qualifying XC meet in Ames.
AMES — Gilbert girls cross country coach Laura Kautman had trouble containing her emotions after the girls race at the Iowa State Class 3A cross country meet on Wednesday.
It’s been a challenging year for the Gilbert girls team, which, with graduation and the loss of top returning runner Kiera Andersen for more than half the season to a leg injury, has half its lineup adjusting to life as a varsity 5K runner.
As a result, the Tigers hit some bumps along the way. But they never lost sight of their ultimate goal.
With Andersen back in the varsity lineup Wednesday, Gilbert was able to place second as a team to earn its third straight trip to state.
“Gilbert has a pretty strong tradition of running programs, and the girls really wanted to continue that legacy,” Kautman said. “There were a lot of things, I wouldn’t say we were written off, but it was more that we weren’t the same team, so maybe we wouldn’t have the success we had before. It’s just a great thing to prove those people wrong.”
more: How talented newcomers could help Gilbert return to state in girls cross country
Gilbert entered the meet ranked No. 13 in 3A. The Tigers scored 72 points Wednesday to edge #11 MOC-Floyd Valley by eight points for second place behind #7 Sioux Center’s winning score of 54 points.
Kautman said the team has taken things a little slow in practice during the season. She said it took the team until the middle of the season to establish practice norms.
But once things started to click and Andersen returned to the court, things quickly fell into place for the Tigers.
“I’m in awe of this group of girls and the grit they had to have to compete like they did today with such poise and such confidence,” Kautman said. “Pride is an understatement.”
The standout performer for Gilbert on Wednesday was senior Sarah Fedderson.
Feddersen is a state champion in track, but she did not run cross country last year and only ran JV as a sophomore. On Wednesday, she ran the race of her life, placing third individually to qualify individually for state.
“It was crazy,” Feddersen said. “Honestly, it went very quickly. I’m really thankful for the home field advantage and knowing my team is behind me.”
more: Meet the Ames Tribune’s top 15 area girls cross country teams heading into 2024.
Feddersen hung with MOC-Floyd Valley’s Natalie Anderson for the back half of the race behind eventual winner Annika Larson of Ballard.
Both riders had strong final kicks to catch up, with Anderson in the final straight to the finish line. Larson won with a 5-kilometer time of 18 minutes, 47.10 seconds, Anderson posted a time of 18:50.30 and Feddersen crossed the finish line in 18:51.20.
“I didn’t think I had it in me,” Feddersen said. “Then I heard my coach tell me that this is what you’re made for, this is where the track (runner) in you comes out, and as soon as I saw the scoreboard and two people in front of me, I knew he could just sprint. It feels amazing.”
Andersen also qualified individually with a finish in the top 15. The talented junior showed she’s shaken off most of the rust she’s been missing for half the season, finishing 14th in 19:48.10.
Kaitlyn Dear and Abby Patel just missed the individual qualifiers for Gilbert. Dear came in 16th in 20:04.90 and Patel was 17th in 20:11.
Senior Sophia Bleich was the final runner to earn points for Gilbert after coming in 26th in 20:58.70. Mia Kautman took 32nd in 21:12.90 and Raya Mueller was 57th in 22:42.80.
Ballard’s Annika Larson wins first qualifying meet title
Ballard’s Annika Larson in winning her first 3A state qualifier title
Ballard’s Annika Larson after placing first as one of two Bomber girls to qualify for state at the 3A qualifying cross country meet in Ames.
It took all of her energy, but Larson was able to capture her first individual qualifying championship on Wednesday.
The Bomber senior entered the meet ranked No. 11 in 3A and controlled most of the meet on the ISU course. But her comfortable lead began to dwindle in the back half and she then had to give it her all in the final stretch to hold off Anderson and Feddersen for the win.
The final was definitely tough, Larson said. “This is the longest final we’ve ever had. Staring at it for so long, it just (felt) so far away. It was mentally tough and probably the hardest final I’ve ever done.”
more: Meet Annika Larson, the talented senior leader of the Ballard girls cross country team
Larson was exhausted as she crossed the finish line. He was glad he had enough to get the job done.
“It feels great,” Larson said. “I couldn’t do it without strong, supportive girls who push me every day to be a better person.”
Ballard just missed returning to state as a team after placing fourth. The Bombers scored 83 points to finish just three points behind third-place MOC-Floyd Valley as the last team to qualify.
But Larson won’t be going alone. Her senior classmate Bryn Wilson also placed individually.
Wilson placed ninth with a 5k time of 19:32.90.
Nevada placed sixth out of 12 teams at Wednesday’s meet with 204 points. Sophia Martinez was the first Cub to finish the race, placing 30th in 21:09.70, Brooke Axmear took 37th in 21:32.10 and Alexa Betting was 43rd in 21:57.80.
Final Team Results: 1. Sioux Center 54 points, 2. Gilbert 72, 3. MOC-Floyd Valley 80, 4. Ballard 83, 5. Creston 170, 6. Nevada 204, 7. Atlantic 206, 8. Storm Lake 210, 9. Humboldt 216 , 10. Boone 221, 11. Kuemper Catholic 267, 12. Algona 280.
Individual state qualifications (5 kilometers): 1. Annika Larson (Ballard), 18:47.10; 2. Natalie Anderson (MOC-Floyd Valley), 18:50.30; 3. Sarah Federson (Gilbert), 18:51.20; 4. Kienna Lassen (MOC-Floyd Valley), 19:02.80. 5. Molly Isaacson (Sioux Center), 19:08.40; 6. Audrina Jones (Sioux Center), 19:12.20; 7. Sylvia Campbell (Storm Lake), 19:14.70; 8. Sarah May (MOC-Floyd Valley), 19:26.90; 9. Brynn Wilson (Ballard), 19:32.90; 10. Colby Oldenkamp (Sioux Center), 19:34.90; 11. Macyn Van Aartsen (Sioux Center), 19:38.50; 12. Lily Myers (Perry), 19:39.20; 13. Emmalyn Thomas (Boone), 19:41.20; 14. Kiera Anderson (Gilbert), 19:48.10; 15. Reese Strunk (Creston), 19:54.60.
Joe Randleman covers high school sports for the Ames Tribune. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @JoeRandleman