D-NL, Mid-Prairie lead All-Union boys’ cross-country list

The Southeast Iowa Union area is particularly strong at the sport of cross-country. With as many conference championships that come to the Union area, and as many state qualifiers, it’s hard to pick just seven.

The 2022 All-Union boys cross-country team features all state qualifiers, led by a state-qualifying coach. The team is captained by a junior but features all seniors and sophomores from that point forward.

Coach: Lucas Gourley, Danville-New London

The Danville-New London boys have been a force in the sport of cross-country, and head coach Lucas Gourley has anchored that push, putting together some of the best rosters in Southeast Iowa.

The D-NL boys not only dominated the Southeast Iowa Super Conference meet and cruised through the state qualifier, but put together an 11th-place finish at the Class 2A state meet.

Captain: Micah Rees (11), Washington

Washington’s junior star shot to the top of the Southeast Conference this season, taking the spot of former teammate Lance Sobaski, who graduated in 2022.

Rees won the SEC boys’ individual championship at the conference meet in Fairfield and also led the Demons to a three-point victory over Fort Madison in the team race.

At state, Rees joined Class 3A’s elite for the first time in his career, notching his first-ever Top-15 result with a 13th-place time of 16:26.82.

AJ Bonnesen (12), Danville-New London

Bonnesen has been one of the D-NL leaders for the last few years. This year, he and fellow senior Rylan Martin coled the squad to more heights.

Bonnesen finished second at the Southeast Iowa Super Conference meet, which helped D-NL retain the conference’s team title.

At the state meet, Bonnesen finished fifth in the Class 2A race, beating SEISC champion Solomon Zaugg of Mediapolis in the process. He crossed the tape in 16:29.37.

Brady McWhirter (10), Pekin

In his first year in a Pekin uniform, McWhirter rose to the top of Pekin’s cross-country team. He took fifth in the SEISC meet and advanced to state for the first time in his career.

At state, McWhirter was the top Union area runner in the Class 1A race, finishing 16th. McWhirter crossed the tape in 16:50.40.

Emmett Swartzentruber (10), Mid-Prairie

It wasn’t a done deal that the Mid-Prairie boys would make the state meet this year, as the Golden Hawks had to grind out a third-place finish at the qualifier. Swartzentruber was a huge reason the Golden Hawks went through, finishing sixth.

At the state meet, Swartzentruber not only beat his state qualifying time by 10 seconds, but finished in the Top-20. He finished 20th in the Class 2A race with a final time of 17:05.64.

Ben Carthey (12), Mt. Pleasant

Mt. Pleasant’s rising star finally saw his full potential in his senior season, performing his best during the regular season and reaching career highs in the Southeast Conference meet and the state qualifier.

In the SEC meet, Carthey not only took second place overall, but also beat the third place runner by over 34 seconds.

Carthey finally broke the mold at the state qualifier to earn his first-ever spot at Fort Dodge. In the Class 3A state race, he finished 61st overall with a final time of 17:26.72.

Rylan Martin (12), Danville-New London

Like teammate Bonnesen, Martin had been on the rise in the SEISC field for years, but this year was a step-up year in his senior season.

Martin finished third in the SEISC meet, helping the team to an overall title. He also grabbed a Top-5 at the state qualifier.

At the state meet, Martin crossed the tape in 40th place in the Class 2A race, finishing in 17:27.41.

Preston Yutzy (10), Mid-Prairie

Like teammate Swartzentruber, Yutzy needed a big performance in the state qualifier, and his eighth-place finish helped the Golden Hawks advance to Fort Dodge by eight points.

Yutzy took 41st in the Class 2A state meet, crossing the tape in 17:27.51. This helped the young Golden Hawks finish 13th as a team, earning plenty of confidence ahead of next season.