At the Class 3A State Cross Country Meet in Fort Dodge on Oct. 30, the West Delaware boys’ cross country team placed fourteenth.

Three runners also qualified as individuals: seniors Blake Smith, Cael Meyer, and Tyger Vaske.

Coach Dale Meyer is extremely proud of the guys and very happy that their hard work paid off. “It is exciting to think of all the ways that this one event could impact the program as a whole,” Meyer said. “Hopefully success really does breed success.”

Meyer said the boys worked extra during the summer. “They made incredible growth as a group, challenging each other every practice and every race,” Meyer said. 

Meyer feels fortunate that all his runners stayed healthy. “The whole COVID cloud hanging over us was extremely stressful,” Meyer said. “After losing their track season last year, I didn’t want my seniors to lose cross country too.” 

Team members are already talking about running in the summer to prepare for next season. 

“These guys have raised the bar for future teams and shown what is possible through hard work and summer running,” Meyer said. “They have changed the culture of our cross country program.”