’Cats crowned Alliance champs
Preston Johnson defends conference title; MHS girls take third place
PHOTO PROVIDED The Marshalltown boys cross country team poses after competing in the Iowa Alliance Conference meet on Wednesday at James W. Cownie Soccer Complex in Des Moines. The Bobcats won their first Alliance team title by a narrow margin ahead of Des Moines Roosevelt and Mason City.
PHOTO PROVIDED Marshalltown senior Preston Johnson charges through the course on his way to the Iowa Alliance Conference championship on Wednesday at Cownie Soccer Park in Des Moines. Johnson successfully defended his Alliance title with a winning time of 15 minutes, 11 seconds.
PHOTO PROVIDED Marshalltown’s Lillian Heil, left, and Grace Whitmore run stride-for-stride during the Iowa Alliance Conference meet on Wednesday at James W. Cownie Soccer Complex in Des Moines. Heil took second place in her conference debut while Whitmore was third for the Bobcat girls, who placed third as a team.
PHOTO PROVIDED The Marshalltown boys cross country team poses after competing in the Iowa Alliance Conference meet on Wednesday at James W. Cownie Soccer Complex in Des Moines. The Bobcats won their first Alliance team title by a narrow margin ahead of Des Moines Roosevelt and Mason City.
PHOTO PROVIDED Marshalltown senior Preston Johnson charges through the course on his way to the Iowa Alliance Conference championship on Wednesday at Cownie Soccer Park in Des Moines. Johnson successfully defended his Alliance title with a winning time of 15 minutes, 11 seconds.
PHOTO PROVIDED Marshalltown’s Lillian Heil, left, and Grace Whitmore run stride-for-stride during the Iowa Alliance Conference meet on Wednesday at James W. Cownie Soccer Complex in Des Moines. Heil took second place in her conference debut while Whitmore was third for the Bobcat girls, who placed third as a team.
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DES MOINES -- Marshalltown senior Preston Johnson successfully defended his Iowa Alliance Conference meet title in leading the Bobcats to their first team championship on Wednesday at the James W. Cownie Soccer Complex.
Johnson won his second-straight Alliance meet title with a blistering time of 15 minutes, 11.3 seconds, to beat the nearest competition to the finish line by nearly a full minute. Mason City's Henry Hansen was second in 16:08 and Des Moines North's Marvin Mejicano-Barahona was third in 16:15.
Every position proved pivotal for the Bobcats, who finished with 53 team points to hold off Des Moines Roosevelt (54) and Mason City (58) for the Alliance crown.
MHS sophomore Costin Piscitelli took seventh place with a time of 16:47, junior Michael Downs as 11th in 17:26, senior Elliot Kodis was 16th in 17:52 and junior Thomas Stanley rounded out the scoring in 18th place (17:53).
Connor Faas (29th, 18:49) and Adam Bouhssine (41st, 19:50) rounded out the Bobcats' roster for the league meet.
The Marshalltown girls took third out of six scoring teams in the nine-team conference, totaling 62 points to trail only Roosevelt (48) and Mason City (55).
The Bobcats were led by their underclassmen again as freshman Lillian Heil came in second and sophomore Grace Whitmore was third. Heil finished in 20:25 and Whitmore was just behind at 20:27.
Roosevelt's Isabel Spradling won the conference title with a runaway time of 17:57.
Marshalltown's third scoring runner was freshman Naysa Rottink in 21:56. Mallory Meyeraan, a junior, came in 21st in 22:48, and sophomore Lily Johnson took 23rd in 23:00.
Elise Brott (32nd, 24:29) and Eiley Chamberlin (33rd, 24:43) rounded out the Bobcat lineup.
Marshalltown will host its Class 4A state-qualifying meet on Wednesday, Oct. 21, in a 4 p.m. start at Marshalltown Community College.