Emotion, determination fuel South Winn’s Hugh Conway to a 1A title

FORT DODGE — Hugh Conway crossed the finish line, his cadence slowing from race pace to a brisk walk.

Straight out of the chute he continued, into the mass of humanity.

“Let’s go!” he shouted.

No amount of pain — neither physical or emotional — was going to stop Conway, a sophomore at South Winneshiek who claimed the Class 1A boys’ individual cross country championship Saturday afternoon at Lakeside Golf Course.

“However much it hurts, it doesn’t compare to my mom,” he said. He continued to share that his mother, Gretchen, is battling pancreatic cancer and was hospitalized Saturday in Rochester, Minn.

So, yeah, he was determined.

“I knew my ability,” said Conway, who took control of the race midway through and won it by 12 seconds in 15:50. “I’ve trained all year for this. The first two times I’d raced (against Lake Mills’ Hayden Thompson and Knute Rogne), they beat me. I needed to win this one.”

Conway’s determined race put a stamp on a memorable day for the runners from South Winn. The Warriors claimed the 1A girls’ championship in almost unthinkable fashion.

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South Winn had nobody in the girls’ overall top 50, but in the world of “displacement scoring,” all runners from incomplete teams are thrown out of the team standings.

For instance, South Winn’s leader, Annie Hageman, was 52nd overall, but since 32 runners ahead of her were from incomplete squads, her scoring total was 20.

And thus, the Warriors’ upper-mid-pack runners grabbed a title. They scored 125 points. Sumner-Fredericksburg (136) and Hudson (143) were second and third.

Seemingly always a contender, the Warriors reached the peak for the first time since 2021.

“I didn’t know we could do this,” Hageman said. “We run in a pack and do our best.”

The Warriors’ top four runners crossed within 2 seconds of each other.

There’s some communication involved in that pack.

“We might tap each other as we go by,” Lauren Ondrashek said. “Or it might just be a thumbs-up or a finger point.”

Thumbs-up, indeed.

Council Bluffs St. Albert senior Lili Denton controlled the girls’ race throughout and won her second consecutive title. Her time (17:56) beat the field by 37 seconds.

Lauren Krogmann of Starmont-West Central was third in 18:34, a second behind runner-up Chloe Glosser of Pekin.

“I was hoping for third, so I got my goal,” Krogmann said. “This race was a blur. It was the best I’ve run all season.”

Oakland Riverside claimed its first boys’ championship, placing four runners in the top 14 and compiling 54 points. Lake Mills, the champion in 2023 and 2024, was second with 69; Ankeny Christian was third with 124.

Springville finished fifth.

2025 STATE CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS

(At Lakeside Golf Course, Fort Dodge)

Class 1A Girls

TEAMS

1. South Winneshiek 125, 2. Sumner-Fredericksburg 136, 3. Hudson 143, 4. Earlham 148, 5. Madrid 155, 6. Martensdale-St. Marys 180, 7. Van Buren County 198, 8. English Valleys 207, 9. Collins-Maxwell 207, 10. Sioux Central 222, 11. Tri-Center 228, 12. Newell-Fonda 243, 13. Sibley-Ocheyedan 246, 14. Wapsie Valley 287, 15. Lynnville-Sully 287, 16. Alta-Aurelia 324.

INDIVIDUALS

1. Lili Denton (Council Bluffs St. Albert), 17:56; 2. Chloe Glosser (Pekin), 18:33; 3. Lauren Krogmann (Starmont-West Central), 18:34; 4. Karson Oberender (Martensdale-SM), 18:50; 5. Tyra Schupbach (West Bend-Mallard), 19:03; 6. Alexis Mujica (Mason City Newman), 19:11; 7. Lauren Hillesland (North Iowa), 19:17; 8. Claire Zweibohmer (Riceville), 19:19; 9. Katelyn Brandhorst (Madrid), 19:21; 10. Madelyn Grothus (Madrid), 19:24.

11. Abbi Waskow (Dunkerton), 19:29; 12. Hannah Brandhorst (Madrid), 19:35; 13. Julia Swift (Algona Garrigan), 19:38; 14. Amanda Smith (Earlham), 19:41; 15. Audra Burbridge (Maquoketa Valley), 19:42; 16. Maclaine German (Martensdale-SM), 19:43; 17. Mollie Hansen (Hudson), 19:44; 18. Emmerson Jedlicka (North Mahaska), 19:46; 19. Sydney Zupke (Sumner-Fred), 19:50; 20. Ashlynn Hosbond (Colfax-Mingo), 19:50.

Class 1A Boys

TEAMS

1. Oakland Riverside 54, 2. Lake Mills 69, 3. Ankeny Christian 124, 4. Earlham 150, 5. Springville 225, 6. Columbus Community 227, 7. Louisa-Muscatine 228, 8. East Sac County 231, 9. South Winneshiek 244, 10. Lynnville-Sully 245, 11. Sioux Central 253, 12. Van Buren County 260, 13. Dyersville Beckman 269, 14. Pekin 294, 15. North Butler 303, 16. Nodaway Valley 305.

INDIVIDUALS

1. Hugh Conway (South Winn), 15:50; 2. Hayden Thompson (Lake Mills), 16:02; 3. Knute Rogne (Lake Mills), 16:03; 4. Haven Weers (Tri-Center), 16:11; 5. Dawson Henderson (Riverside), 16:25; 6. Lucas Wernimont (Sioux Central), 16:33; 7. Lincoln Bainbridge (Van Buren County), 16:36; 8. David Nichols (Earlham), 16:37; 9. Dane Gorham (Boyer Valley), 16:38; 10. Colton Alberts (Lynnville-Sully), 16:39.

11. Owen Fenner (Riverside), 16:40; 12. Alex Davis (Ankeny Christian), 16:41; 13. Eli Hudnall (Riverside), 16:44; 14. Brody Henderson (Riverside), 16:45; 15. Riley Aragon (East Sac), 16:49; 16. Aiden Summerfield (Woodbine), 16:50; 17. Zachary Gardner (Ankeny Christian), 16:54; 18. Jack Christian (Sioux Central), 16:55; 19. Lane Rygh (Lake Mills), 16:56; 20. Blake Wilmesmeier (Lynnville-Sully), 16:58.

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Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com