Happy win for Wildcats
Columbus takes title to honor runner's father.
By MATT LEVINS
mlevins@thehawkeye.com
FORT MADISON - Columbus High School freshman cross country runner Claire Hamilton spent most of Thursday at Mercy Hospital in Iowa City sitting next to her father's bed.
"Gomer" Hamilton lies in his hospital bed, his body ravaged with cancer, an IV slowly dripping morphine into his body to numb the pain.
Claire, her family and her cross country teammates know the end is near. Gomer Hamilton has been given less than two weeks to live.
So Claire and the Wildcats wanted to do something to put a smile on Gomer's face one more time, something to help take away the pain, somehow take his mind off things, if only for a few fleeting moments.
Columbus needed no extra motivation heading into the 40th annual Timm Lamb Cross Country Invitational Thursday evening at Rodeo Park. Their source of inspiration was in a hospital bed 100 miles away, fighting for his life.
Today, the Wildcats will give him a present which is sure to put a smile on his face. The Columbus girls finished second in the Class B team race with 59 points, 12 points behind Wapello's winning total of 47. Claire Hamilton ran her heart out for her father, finishing 13th in 19 minutes, 13.39 seconds, thoughts of her dad racing through her mind with every step she took.
The Columbus boys stunned Class 1A's fifth-ranked Wapello, winning the Class B team title with 55 points, 17 better than Wapello.
It all added up to the Class B combined championship for Columbus. The Wildcats hoisted the team trophy, then handed it to Claire, who will present it to her father today.
"We did really good. We accomplished our goal and we were close to accomplishing the ones we haven't quite got yet. I'm really proud of our team," Claire Hamilton said, fighting back tears. "It feels really good. He will be so happy."
"That was our plan, our hope, to win the combined title for Gomer," Columbus coach Mike Jay said. "The girls got beat by a very, very good Wapello team. We were lucky enough to come back and beat a very good Wapello boys team by enough. So this trophy is going to Mercy Hospital and be beside his bed tomorrow. We couldn't be happier. What a great way to finish off the day and give us something to smile about in a tough part of the season."
"We were all wanting to come together as a family and help her out. So we've all been running as a team, doing a lot of things to support her family because we are all one big family. I think we've grown a lot as a team and we hope it's helping her," said Columbus team captain Kara Exline, who finished 12th in 19:09.19. "It's really tough. We are feeling her pain as much as she's feeling it. We want nothing but the best for her.
"When she cries, we are all going to cry with her."
The overall girls race was one for the ages. Danville-New London junior Cassie Stuflick, ranked 12th in Class 2A, outkicked Burlington senior Mackenzie Eland in the last mile to win in 16:59.49.
"I just ran my race. I knew I had to run my race and keep the pacing and it turned out good for me," Stuflick said. "I think it's the same as it's always been. I've always had girls to push me and I push them. In the end we make each other better and we're all shooting for the same goal at the end of the season."
Eland won the Class A title in 17:06.25. Stuflick ended Eland's bid to win the overall championship for the fourth straight year. Eland won the Class A race in 17:06.25.
"Last week I had bronchitis. This week I started getting a nasty sore throat. I went to the doctor and he said it was a virus. So the past couple days I've had the runny nose and been really congested. I could definitely feel it today. This week I didn't go to school one day and couldn't go to practice on Monday, so it's been tough," Eland said. "I'm happy with the effort I can put in with not feeling the greatest at all. But this would have been my fourth year winning this race. It's kind of a downer not being able to win."
Jessica Lamb of Fairfield was second in Class A in 17:23.25.
Mount Pleasant, led by Hannah Weber's third-place finish in 17:30.92, won the Class A title with 54 points, 15 points better than Washington.
Natalie Ita , Emma Ludwig and Chloe Haffarnan also finished in the top 15 for the Panthers.
Wapello won the Class B team title with 47 points. Aryka Parsons paced the Arrows, finishing second in 17:27.68. Lorin Fisher, Sydney Reid and Kimberlee Ewart also finished in the top 15 for Wapello.
CLASS A
Team scores
1. Mount Pleasant, 54; 2. Washington, 69; 3. Davis County, 70; 4. Fort Madison, 80; 5. Fairfield, 97; 6. Burlington, 110. Keokuk did not have enough runners for a team score.
Individuals
1. Mackenzie Eland (BHS), 17:06.25; 2. Jessica Lamb (FF), 17:23.25; 3. Hannah Weber (MP), 17:30.92; 4. Chandra Smith (DC), 17:38.21; 5. Lauren Kimbell (W), 17:44.83; 6 Ally McClure (DC), 17:57.17; 7. Alyssa Stickfort (FM), 17:57.92; 8. MeKenzie Coppage (FM), 17:59.34; 9. Natalie Ita (MP), 18:10.97; 10. Emma Ludwig (MP), 18:11.64; 11. Regan Enfield (W), 18:13.92; 12. Stephanie Loy (W), 18:31.93; 13. Kaylee Alvarez (FM), 18:36.93; 14. Chloe Haffarnan (MP), 18:40.45; 15. Hannah Sobaski (FF), 18:42.00.
Mount Pleasant - 3. Hannah Weber, 17:29; 9. Natalie Ita, 18:09; 10. Emma Ludwig, 18:10; 14. Chloe Haffarnan, 18:38; 18. Maddie Lance, 19:14; 25. Kaitlyn Jones, 19:45.
Fort Madison - 23. Claire Pickford; 29. Rachel Wolf.
Burlington - 21. Brittnee Grimshaw, 19:32; 26. Samantha Smith, 19:52; 30. Shannon Boyle, 20:09; 31. Abby Corrick, 20:10.
Keokuk - 26. Bella Lozano-Dobbs; 38. Taylor Lemon; 40. Jenna Kite; 41. Zoe Kayvan; 42. Merydith Marshall.
CLASS B
Team scores
1. Wapello, 47; 2. Columbus, 59; 3. Louisa-Muscatine, 112; 4. Danville-New London, 124; 5. Mediapolis, 135; 6. Winfield-Mount Union, 153; 7. Holy Trinity, 176; 8. Van Buren, 188; 9. West Hancock, 212; 10. Illini West, 221.
Individuals
1. Cassie Stuflick (D-NL), 16:59.49; 2. Aryka Parsons (Wap.), 17:27.68; 3. Melanie Luttrull (L-M), 17:43.32; 4. Taylor Hills (Col.), 17:44.48; 5. Lorin Fisher (Wap.), 17:52.83; 6. Sydney Reid (Wap.), 17:54.39; 7. Caitlin Chaney (Col.), 18:27.90; 8. Tayo Ajose (Mepo), 18:35.00; 9. Aleetha Mulch (WH), 18:37.64; 10. Kimberlee Ewart (Wap.), 18:57.04; 11. Grace Edwards (W-MU), 18:59.80; 12. Kara Exline (Col.), 19:09.19; 13. Claire Hamilton (Col.), 19:13.39; 14. Ashlee Conrad (HTC), 19:20.92; 15. Unity Daugherty (VB), 19:22.78.
Area teams
Central Lee - 17. Alicia Riffle, 19:30; 61. Savannah Hanlin, 25:00; 66. Natalie Rahtz, 28:12.
Columbus - 23. Kassandra Lara, 19:59; 26. Kylie Marin, 20:01; 34. Yvette Aguilar, 20:52.
Danville-New London - 1. Cassie Stuflick,16:59; 18. Rachel Beck, 19:29; 19. Morgan Schadel, 19:32; 36. Samantha Anderson, 20:57; 50. Shelby Buchholz, 22:19; 51. Allison Becker, 22:44; 56. Bailey McAllister 23:14.
Harmony - 46. Kadie Meek; 58. Alena Whitaker; 62. Alexis Franklin.
Holy Trinity - 32. Molly Conrad, 20:47; 38. Sara Abolt, 21:03; 45. Becca Kokjohn, 21:58; 47. Madeline Dupuis, 22:07; 48. Danielle Watznauer, 22:09.
Mediapolis - 20. Allison Hedges, 19:32; 31. Shannon Sisco, 20:38; 33. Emily Allen, 20:48; 43. Kelly Marolf, 21:50.
Van Buren - 15. Unity Daugherty, 19:23; 25. Caitlyn Millard, 10:01; 29. Jessica Saunders, 20:20; 59. Jessie Cassens, 24:03; 60. Faith Murphy, 24:46; 65. Alison Dickinson, 26:12
Columbus takes title to honor runner's father.
By MATT LEVINS
mlevins@thehawkeye.com
FORT MADISON - Columbus High School freshman cross country runner Claire Hamilton spent most of Thursday at Mercy Hospital in Iowa City sitting next to her father's bed.
"Gomer" Hamilton lies in his hospital bed, his body ravaged with cancer, an IV slowly dripping morphine into his body to numb the pain.
Claire, her family and her cross country teammates know the end is near. Gomer Hamilton has been given less than two weeks to live.
So Claire and the Wildcats wanted to do something to put a smile on Gomer's face one more time, something to help take away the pain, somehow take his mind off things, if only for a few fleeting moments.
Columbus needed no extra motivation heading into the 40th annual Timm Lamb Cross Country Invitational Thursday evening at Rodeo Park. Their source of inspiration was in a hospital bed 100 miles away, fighting for his life.
Today, the Wildcats will give him a present which is sure to put a smile on his face. The Columbus girls finished second in the Class B team race with 59 points, 12 points behind Wapello's winning total of 47. Claire Hamilton ran her heart out for her father, finishing 13th in 19 minutes, 13.39 seconds, thoughts of her dad racing through her mind with every step she took.
The Columbus boys stunned Class 1A's fifth-ranked Wapello, winning the Class B team title with 55 points, 17 better than Wapello.
It all added up to the Class B combined championship for Columbus. The Wildcats hoisted the team trophy, then handed it to Claire, who will present it to her father today.
"We did really good. We accomplished our goal and we were close to accomplishing the ones we haven't quite got yet. I'm really proud of our team," Claire Hamilton said, fighting back tears. "It feels really good. He will be so happy."
"That was our plan, our hope, to win the combined title for Gomer," Columbus coach Mike Jay said. "The girls got beat by a very, very good Wapello team. We were lucky enough to come back and beat a very good Wapello boys team by enough. So this trophy is going to Mercy Hospital and be beside his bed tomorrow. We couldn't be happier. What a great way to finish off the day and give us something to smile about in a tough part of the season."
"We were all wanting to come together as a family and help her out. So we've all been running as a team, doing a lot of things to support her family because we are all one big family. I think we've grown a lot as a team and we hope it's helping her," said Columbus team captain Kara Exline, who finished 12th in 19:09.19. "It's really tough. We are feeling her pain as much as she's feeling it. We want nothing but the best for her.
"When she cries, we are all going to cry with her."
The overall girls race was one for the ages. Danville-New London junior Cassie Stuflick, ranked 12th in Class 2A, outkicked Burlington senior Mackenzie Eland in the last mile to win in 16:59.49.
"I just ran my race. I knew I had to run my race and keep the pacing and it turned out good for me," Stuflick said. "I think it's the same as it's always been. I've always had girls to push me and I push them. In the end we make each other better and we're all shooting for the same goal at the end of the season."
Eland won the Class A title in 17:06.25. Stuflick ended Eland's bid to win the overall championship for the fourth straight year. Eland won the Class A race in 17:06.25.
"Last week I had bronchitis. This week I started getting a nasty sore throat. I went to the doctor and he said it was a virus. So the past couple days I've had the runny nose and been really congested. I could definitely feel it today. This week I didn't go to school one day and couldn't go to practice on Monday, so it's been tough," Eland said. "I'm happy with the effort I can put in with not feeling the greatest at all. But this would have been my fourth year winning this race. It's kind of a downer not being able to win."
Jessica Lamb of Fairfield was second in Class A in 17:23.25.
Mount Pleasant, led by Hannah Weber's third-place finish in 17:30.92, won the Class A title with 54 points, 15 points better than Washington.
Natalie Ita , Emma Ludwig and Chloe Haffarnan also finished in the top 15 for the Panthers.
Wapello won the Class B team title with 47 points. Aryka Parsons paced the Arrows, finishing second in 17:27.68. Lorin Fisher, Sydney Reid and Kimberlee Ewart also finished in the top 15 for Wapello.
CLASS A
Team scores
1. Mount Pleasant, 54; 2. Washington, 69; 3. Davis County, 70; 4. Fort Madison, 80; 5. Fairfield, 97; 6. Burlington, 110. Keokuk did not have enough runners for a team score.
Individuals
1. Mackenzie Eland (BHS), 17:06.25; 2. Jessica Lamb (FF), 17:23.25; 3. Hannah Weber (MP), 17:30.92; 4. Chandra Smith (DC), 17:38.21; 5. Lauren Kimbell (W), 17:44.83; 6 Ally McClure (DC), 17:57.17; 7. Alyssa Stickfort (FM), 17:57.92; 8. MeKenzie Coppage (FM), 17:59.34; 9. Natalie Ita (MP), 18:10.97; 10. Emma Ludwig (MP), 18:11.64; 11. Regan Enfield (W), 18:13.92; 12. Stephanie Loy (W), 18:31.93; 13. Kaylee Alvarez (FM), 18:36.93; 14. Chloe Haffarnan (MP), 18:40.45; 15. Hannah Sobaski (FF), 18:42.00.
Mount Pleasant - 3. Hannah Weber, 17:29; 9. Natalie Ita, 18:09; 10. Emma Ludwig, 18:10; 14. Chloe Haffarnan, 18:38; 18. Maddie Lance, 19:14; 25. Kaitlyn Jones, 19:45.
Fort Madison - 23. Claire Pickford; 29. Rachel Wolf.
Burlington - 21. Brittnee Grimshaw, 19:32; 26. Samantha Smith, 19:52; 30. Shannon Boyle, 20:09; 31. Abby Corrick, 20:10.
Keokuk - 26. Bella Lozano-Dobbs; 38. Taylor Lemon; 40. Jenna Kite; 41. Zoe Kayvan; 42. Merydith Marshall.
CLASS B
Team scores
1. Wapello, 47; 2. Columbus, 59; 3. Louisa-Muscatine, 112; 4. Danville-New London, 124; 5. Mediapolis, 135; 6. Winfield-Mount Union, 153; 7. Holy Trinity, 176; 8. Van Buren, 188; 9. West Hancock, 212; 10. Illini West, 221.
Individuals
1. Cassie Stuflick (D-NL), 16:59.49; 2. Aryka Parsons (Wap.), 17:27.68; 3. Melanie Luttrull (L-M), 17:43.32; 4. Taylor Hills (Col.), 17:44.48; 5. Lorin Fisher (Wap.), 17:52.83; 6. Sydney Reid (Wap.), 17:54.39; 7. Caitlin Chaney (Col.), 18:27.90; 8. Tayo Ajose (Mepo), 18:35.00; 9. Aleetha Mulch (WH), 18:37.64; 10. Kimberlee Ewart (Wap.), 18:57.04; 11. Grace Edwards (W-MU), 18:59.80; 12. Kara Exline (Col.), 19:09.19; 13. Claire Hamilton (Col.), 19:13.39; 14. Ashlee Conrad (HTC), 19:20.92; 15. Unity Daugherty (VB), 19:22.78.
Area teams
Central Lee - 17. Alicia Riffle, 19:30; 61. Savannah Hanlin, 25:00; 66. Natalie Rahtz, 28:12.
Columbus - 23. Kassandra Lara, 19:59; 26. Kylie Marin, 20:01; 34. Yvette Aguilar, 20:52.
Danville-New London - 1. Cassie Stuflick,16:59; 18. Rachel Beck, 19:29; 19. Morgan Schadel, 19:32; 36. Samantha Anderson, 20:57; 50. Shelby Buchholz, 22:19; 51. Allison Becker, 22:44; 56. Bailey McAllister 23:14.
Harmony - 46. Kadie Meek; 58. Alena Whitaker; 62. Alexis Franklin.
Holy Trinity - 32. Molly Conrad, 20:47; 38. Sara Abolt, 21:03; 45. Becca Kokjohn, 21:58; 47. Madeline Dupuis, 22:07; 48. Danielle Watznauer, 22:09.
Mediapolis - 20. Allison Hedges, 19:32; 31. Shannon Sisco, 20:38; 33. Emily Allen, 20:48; 43. Kelly Marolf, 21:50.
Van Buren - 15. Unity Daugherty, 19:23; 25. Caitlyn Millard, 10:01; 29. Jessica Saunders, 20:20; 59. Jessie Cassens, 24:03; 60. Faith Murphy, 24:46; 65. Alison Dickinson, 26:12
