There are breakout performances, and then there is what Mount Vernon-Lisbon sophomore Evelyn Moeller did Tuesday, Oct. 1 at the Williamsburg Invitational.
Moeller broke her personal best time by nearly a full minute and won her first varsity race.
“She was feeling great that night and ran confidently,” MVL Coach Kory Swart said. “She went for it.”
It was a cool night and Tipton phenom Noelle Steines didn’t run that night for the Tigers. “She is putting everything together,” Swart said. “It was so fun to watch. I’m so proud of her.”
She finished in 18 minutes, 49.86 seconds. And it helped the Mustangs score the team title as well. They edged Solon, 67 to 71, just eight days after the Spartans had defeated them at the Solon Invite.
“We had a few other girls run considerably better, too,” Swart said. “Rose (Pisarik) ran 20-flat (20:00.83), her best of the year. She was our three. Edith set a PR. Miranda Sellner was our fifth scorer.”
Plus, Kiersten Swart finished third in 19:19.50, helping MVL top the 17-team field.
“Now we just need to build off that,” Swart said. “Make another jump. We should have a ton of confidence for the big meets at the end of the season.”
MVL also won the boys’ title, with the Mustangs topping second-place ADM 58 to 83 at the 19-team invitational.
Grady Olberding set a course record, taking gold in a time of 15 minutes, 52.10 seconds. “He did a good job of leading the way,” Swart said. Swart also pointed to the fifth scoring runner, sophomore Anthony Armstrong, who placed 25th in 17:30.18.
“That was his best race of the season,” Swart said. “He stepped up his game and really helped us from the team score standpoint.”
The Mustangs then competed in the Wartburg Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 5. It was a massive field of teams, split into two divisions.
The MVL boys’ finished 15th and the girls’ finished fourth. Kiersten Swart finished ninth to pace the girls’ and Olberding was 14th and Dawson Scheil was 15th on the boys’ side.
“For us to finish fourth on the girls’ side … that says something,” Swart said. “And we set a few more PRs. Cora Smith. Sam Schoff.”
The Mustangs ran Tuesday, Oct. 8, at the West Delaware Invitational. Next up is the WaMaC Invitational on Thursday, Oct. 17, at Antioch Christian Church in Marion. MVL is still waiting to find out their state-qualifier destination for Oct. 24.
Williamsburg Invitational
Boys team scores – 1. Mount Vernon-Lisbon 58; 2. ADM 83; 3. Bondurant-Farrar 111; 4. Carlisle 157; 5. Tipton 163; 6. Danville 191; 7. Pella 214; 8. Williamsburg 220; 9. Pella Christian 221; 10. Lynnville- Sully 246; 11. Vinton-Shellsburg 254; 12. Solon 261; 13. West Delaware 319; 14. Cliton 389; 15. Belle Plaine 465; 16. Waterloo East 490; 17. HLV 490; 18. Iowa Valley 510; 19. North Mahaska 516.
Medalist – 1. Grady Olberding (MVL) 15:52.10.
MVL – 1. Olberding; 5. Dawson Scheil 16:11.19; 12. Seamus O’Connor 16:58.75; 22. Chasen Caskey 17:26.13; 25. Anthony Armstrong 17:30.18.
Also: 44. Zane Van Regenmorter 17:55.40; 49. Graham Vavricek
17:58.44.
Girls team scores – 1. Mount Vernon-Lisbon 67; 2. Solon 71; 3. Williamsburg 139; 4. ADM 152; 5. Pella 185; 6. English Valleys 189; 7. Tipton 212; 8. Clinton 212; 9. Pella Christian 213; 10. Lynnville-Sully 245; 11. Danville 301; 12. Bondurant-Farrar 327; 13. Vinton-Shellsubrg 343; 14. West Delaware 345; 15. North Mahaska 376; 16. Eddyville- Blakesburg-Fremont 409; 17. Carlisle 418.
Medalist – 1. Evelyn Moeller (MVL) 18:49.86.
MVL – 1. Moeller; 3. Kiersten Swart 19:19.50; 16. Rose Pisarik 20:00.83;
19. Edith Dawson 20:24.36; 28. Miranda Sellner 20:47.30. Also: 31. Sam
Schoff 20:51.02; 42. Emrie Johnson 21:16.67.
Wartburg Invitational
Girls varsity gray team scores – 1. Pleasant Valley 30; 2. West Des Moines Valley 86; 3. Cedar Falls 127; 4. Mount Vernon-Lisbon 143; 5. Davenport Central 173; 6. Mid-Prairie 182; 7. Solon 184; 8. Linn-Mar 191; 9. Iowa City Liberty 241; 10. Gilbert 256; 11. Williamsburg 306; 12. Bettendorf 315; 13. Mason City 345; 14. Norwalk 367; 15. Denver 387; 16. Onalaska 499.
Medalist – 1. Charlee Gall (CF) 18:11.2
MVL – 9. Kiersten Swart 19:19.7; 16. Evelyn Moeller 19:36.6; 42. Rose Pisarik 20:36.5; 44. Edith Dawson 20:42.3; 47. Sam Schoff 20:50.7; 53. Cora Smith 20:56.2; 57. Miranda Sellner 21:02.6. Also: 70. Josie Bothell 21:23.2; 79. Sorell Telecky 21:45.1; 80. Emrie Johnson 21:45.6.
Boys varsity gray team scores – 1. Gilbert 74; 2. Bettendorf 148; 3. Johnston 159; 4. Norwalk 176; 5. Dubuque Senior 181; 6. Indianola 236; 7. Marshalltown 246; 8. Iowa City Liberty 251; 9. Linn-Mar 252; 10. West Des Moines Valley 270; 11. Urbandale 286; 12. Mankato West 286; 13. Mid-Prairie 294; 14. Denver 319; 15. Mount Vernon-Lisbon 330; 16. Iowa City West 361; 17. Onalaska 418; 18. Waverly-Shell Rock 508; 19. Williamsburg 520; 20. Mason City 541; 21. Solon 560.
Medalist – 1. Manny Putz (Onalaska) 14:51.6.
MVL – 14. Grady Olberding 16:04.0; 15. Dawson Scheil 16:05.1; 105. Seamus O’Connor 17:50.8; 116. Anthony Armstrong 18:05.4; 123. Wesley Sadler 18:14.5; 133. Chasen Caskey 18:28.6; 143. Graham Vavricek 18:47.5. Also: 144. Kyler Happel 18:49.2; 162. Cayden Scheil 19:48.8; 168. Brody Speidel 20:14.6.