November 5, 2024
‘Running your race’ means different things to different runners and teams. For Earlham athletes, ‘their race’ means going fast, of course. But to compete like a Cardinal, you have to run with equal amounts of patience, passion, courage, and confidence. Last Saturday in Fort Dodge, the Cardinal girls were at the peak of their mental and physical strength as they won the Class 1A state championship, their second state title in three years.
At the awards ceremony an hour after the race had finished, everything was still somewhat of a blur for the Cardinals. They were the favorites coming into the meet, so they weren’t surprised by the win, but they were still feeling a little overwhelmed.
“It’s unexplainable, really,” said Hannah Frank. “I don’t think it’s really set in that we’ve done this again. This was the goal from the beginning. And we achieved it.”
CeCe Stanley added, “It’s very exciting. There are a lot of emotions. We’re all excited and happy and it’s a big achievement for the whole team.”
Mackenzie Harger said, “I think it’s crazy, but it’s so exciting at the same time that we have the capability to do these things.”
After winning the state championship in 2022, the Cardinals weren’t shy—at least among themselves—about wanting to come back and do it again. Winning it all is a powerful feeling, after all. A couple of injuries cost them the chance at the title last season, and they finished just off the podium at the state meet. This year, they were laser focused on getting back to the top of the mountain, and the work started over the summer and continued into the season.
“It’s hard to put into words,” said Coach Dalton. “They earned it. They showed up all the time and balanced that with an attitude of, ‘Hey we’re going to do what it takes to be great.’ But also, they had fun doing that. And they were such great teammates to each other.”
Cross country is not a sport for the timid—and it’s much more of a team sport than most people realize. A runner has to battle inner demons of pain and doubt, all while being mindful of where their teammates are and what they are going through. Much of the Cardinals’ success was due to the commitment they made to each other.
“They have to be willing to put themselves out there,” said Coach Dalton. “And it’s not a comfortable thing to do. One of the phrases we use is, ‘Be comfortable being uncomfortable.’ You can see it in the girls’ faces. They kept pushing and pushing and a lot of that traces back to their teammates. They want to do well for each other. And that just raises each one of their games.”
The Cardinals are always well prepared for the state meet. Every season, Coaches Braet and Dalton make sure to enter the team in multiple meets against 3A and 4A competition. The huge annual meet at Wartburg College is a good ‘dry run’ for state. The West Central Athletic Conference meet provides arguably the best competition of any sub-4A conference in Iowa. This year, the coaches put together a workout a couple weeks ago that mimicked what they wanted the kids to do at the state meet. Plus, 5 of the 7 Cardinal runners this year had competed at state before.
So were they nervous beforehand? Hardly.
“Nerves have never been a problem with this group. They like to have fun, and sometimes to their detriment,” Coach Braet said with a laugh. “They don’t go overboard with it, but there are times as coaches where we go, ‘Oh boy, we need to step on the brakes for them a little bit and make sure they’re doing what they’re supposed to.’ They know how to balance the dedication, but still make it fun. Because sometimes running isn’t that fun. So you have to make it that way.”
Still, the pressure at the state meet is immense. Considering what’s on the line, combined with the huge crowds, the noise, and the almost festival-like atmosphere, it would be easy for young athletes to get intimidated and/or distracted. The Cardinals, though, were able to turn any of their nerves into positive energy.
“There was lots of adrenaline, definitely,” said Taylor Rodgers. “You go through these tunnels of people and they’re screaming—it’s the most amazing feeling. I think we all just ran our race and went out there and did what we needed to do.”
Senior Hannah Frank and junior Mackenzie Harger paced the Cardinals early, both displaying trademark Cardinal patience. They ran the first mile in about 6:20 and were just outside the top 40. Frank started to make her move after that. By the second mile, she had moved up 18 spots. Over the final mile-plus of the race, she moved up 6 more places to finish 20th overall in a PR of 19:53. Running her last race as a Cardinal, Frank was determined to make this one memorable.
“I knew coming off of state qualifying that I wanted to stay under 20,” she said. “That was my goal since I went out. After running a 26 in my first race ever, it’s been a long time coming. I thought it was going to be a close race so I knew that we just all had to run well, and I was going to do everything I could to help my team.”
Earlham and Madrid swapped the top spot in the team rankings a couple of times this season, so Cardinal runners were focused on the Tiger orange and black jerseys on Saturday. As the race unfolded, it was clear that one of the two teams would win. Madrid had the team lead at the 1- and 2-mile marks, but the Cardinals overcame them in the final mile. That wasn’t easy. The Tigers featured three ranked runners, and they all ran excellent races. Katelyn Brandhorst and Madelyn Grothus finished 4-5 overall and Hannah Brandhorst was 13th.
Cardinal freshman Kinsley Canoyer and senior Taylor Rodgers ran together for the entire race. They were 67th after one mile, but churned though the field to finish 31st and 33rd respectively. After three finishers for each team, Madrid led the Cards, 11-40, so there was work to be done.
Next in for the Cardinals was Harger in 41st. She beat the Tigers’ #4 by a minute-and-a-half and the Cardinals made up 27 points on the Tigers, but they still trailed, 58-60. Junior Amanda Smith, who missed the entire 2023 season with an injury, provided the winning margin. She beat Madrid’s #5 by over a minute to finish 61st, earning 31 points to the Tiger’s runner’ 51. The final score was Earlham 91, Madrid 109. Treynor finished 3rd with 172 points, edging South Winnieshiek (173) and English Valleys (175).
Stanley finished 112th and Shea Rodgers was 122nd.
By scoring for two different state championship teams, Frank, Harger, and Smith have etched their place in Cardinal sports history. And that history is extensive—especially in cross country. That’s no accident. Cardinal tradition runs deep, due to the quality of the kids that have competed and the culture that coaches Braet and Dalton have created.
“There’s a culture in place and you can trace that back to a lot of kids that have set that expectation and set the bar high,” said Coach Braet. “They know what is expected of them. It’s all the kids we’ve had over the years. They come in with a winning attitude. They know that’s the culture and that’s the expectation and they don’t shy away from it. They take that challenge seriously and work hard at it.”
Earlham Echo 
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