Dolphins win Class B title

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SIOUX FALLS – Senior Josie Olsen led the way as Deubrook Area brought home the first-place hardware during the Class B State Girls’ Cross County Meet on Saturday at Yankton Trail Park.

The Dolphins totaled 29 team points to secure their first-ever girls’ cross country crown.

Ipswich was second at 43, followed by defending-champion Newell (44) in third.

Jones County’s Jolie Dugan was the individual champion in a time of 19 minutes, 12.63 seconds.

Andes Central/Dakota Christian’s Isabella Brouwer placed second with a 19:30.3 clocking and Gayville-Volin’s Maddy Fairley (19:31.09) took third.

Olsen crossed in 19:42.36 to place fourth. She placed second each of the past two seasons.

Deubrook eighth-grader Ellie Olsen – in her first year running cross country – placed ninth in 20:10.66. Sophomore Andrea Vandermeer finished 26th in 20:53.29 to complete the team tally. Vandermeer was fourth in 2016 and ninth in 2017.

“Well, I guess, I was somewhat surprised,” Dolphin coach Don Ray said of his team’s performance. “I figured Josie would be in the top five. She ran a good race. Some of these young girls ran a good race today, but she did what she had to do; she did the best she could to be at the top.

“I was a little bit surprised with Ellie. She pulled through.

“Andrea struggled a little bit but she did what she had to do; she gutted some things out.

“I’m overall pleased with the performance of the girls this year. You didn’t have to say a whole lot to them; they kind of, in their mind, knew how to take care of business and went about taking care of business today so that was exciting.”

Josie Olsen is from Hendricks, Minn., and ran for her hometown school for two years before going to Deubrook Area as a freshman. She missed the tail end of her first year of cross country as a Dolphin due to injury.

“She did what she had to do. I know she’s a little bit disappointed but having a team title kind of helps relieve a little bit of that feeling and stuff,” Ray said of Olsen’s final high school outing.

Colman-Egan eighth-grader Reese Luze earned All-State honors, taking 20th with a 20:39.5 clocking.

Also for the Dolphins, Mattie Nepodal (23:52.15) was 101st and fellow-senior Shaylee DeBeer (24:01.82) end up 103rd.

Notes: The Dolphins finished third last year. Deubrook is the two-time defending Class B state champ in track and field. … The Dolphins won boys’ cross country titles in 1998 and 1999. Ray was head coach both years.

Team scores

Deubrook Area 29, Ipswich 43, Newell 44, Wall 54, Kimball/White Lake 55, Philip 74, Alcester-Hudson 81, Dakota Hills 81, James Valley Christian 88, Burke 103, Canistota 118, Jones County 118, Northwestern 125, Timber Lake 130, Freeman 139, Lemmon 139, Andes Central/Dakota Christian 140, Great Plains Lutheran 141, Potter County 149, Howard 150.

Individual top 25 (of 110)

1, Jolie Dugan, Jones County, 19:12.63; 2, Isabella Brouwer, ACDC, 19:30.3; 3, Maddy Fairley, Gayville-Volin, 19:31.09; 4, Josie Olsen, Deubrook, 19:42.36; 5, Victoria Zirbel, Dakota Hills, 19:53.75; 6, Kendra Jensen, Alcester-Hudson, 19:56.97; 7, Aleah Steger, Ipswich, 19:58.25; 8, Cameron Streff, Chester Area, 20:05.98; 9, Ellie Olsen, Deubrook, 20:10.66; 10, Jada Koerner, FAM, 20:12.18; 11, Sidney McCord, KWL, 20:13.77; 12, Christine Gaulke, KWL, 20:15.58; 13, Jessica Boekelheide, Northwestern, 20:17.55; 14, Tessa Kilber, Ipswich, 20:19.77; 15, Lexa Burtzlaff, Newell, 20:23.12; 16, Abby Hasart, JVC, 20:29.38; 17, Alyssa Moschell, Hanson, 20:31.87; 18, Kira Goldade, Aberdeen Christian, 20:32.17; 19, Madison Zirbel, Dakota Hills, 20:36.38; 20, Reese Luze, Colman-Egan, 20:39.5; 21, Kayden Steele, Newell, 20:40.31; 22, Paige Kjerstad, Wall, 20:42.47; 23, Rachel Erk, Newell, 20:42.49; 24, Alexis Stephan, Wall, 20:42.86; 25, Macy Martin, Dupree, 20:48.66. Other area participants – 26, Andrea Vandermeer, Deubrook, 20:53.29; 63, Sadie Johnson, Estelline/Hendricks, 22:08.86; 67, Abby Rhode, Colman-Egan, 22:16.19; 68, Kaylee Johnson, Estelline/Hendricks, 22:17.72; 76, Ashlyn DeKnikker, Lake Preston, 22:30.25; 101, Mattie Nepodal, Deubrook, 23:52.15; 103, Shaylee DeBeer, Deubrook, 24:01.82.