Fairfield runs up against tough Osky field

OSKALOOSA ? The Fairfield girls? cross country team picked up a fourth-place finish Tuesday at the crowded Oskaloosa Invite.

The Trojan girls tallied 107 points to finish in the top half of the nine-team field. Williamsburg won the team title with 43 points, Newton scored 79 and Ottumwa tallied 94 points to finish ahead of Fairfield.

?I thought the girls did a great job tonight running against some really good teams,? said Fairfield head coach Jerrod Belzer. ?We certainly missed not having Sage [Richmond] there, but everyone picked up some slack, and I thought our three freshmen did exceptionally well.?

Jessica Lamb once more led the way as the Trojans? top runner. The senior harrier kept pace with the race?s best and finished fourth individually with a time of 16:47.

?Jess did really well up front for us,? said Belzer. ?The pace was really fast in the front of the pack, but she didn?t let off and had another great race against some top notch runners.?

The Trojan girls got another fine performance from rookie Taylor Ferrel, who was 14th in 17:52. Hannah Sobaski took home 21st with a time of 18:32, Brianna Redmann was 30th in 18:55 and Abby Melcher rounded out the team score, finishing 40th in 19:47.

Alternates Chloe Spalla (19:49) and Tracy Andermann (19:55) finished right behind Melcher at 41st and 42nd place, respectively.

In the boys? race, Fairfield finished seventh in the team standings with 143 points ? one point behind sixth-place Albia. Newton won the boys? race with 53 points and Williamsburg finished second tallying 66.

For the second meet in a row, the Trojans were anchored by a pair of top finishes from senior Randy Andermann and sophomore Trevor Starnes. Andermann crossed the finish line 15th in 18:40, while Starnes was 20 ticks behind to take 18th place.

?I can?t say enough about how pleased I am with Randy and Trevor right now,? said Belzer. ?They have really stepped up and proven themselves to be great leaders for us.?

Senior Brandon Taglauer (32nd, 19:42) and sophomore Jonah Marks (38th, 19:59) completed the course in under 20 minutes. Matt Carr just missed the 20-minute mark with a 40th-place finish in 20:02.

Makena Dettman (53rd, 20:46) and Darrin Dimmitt (60th, 21:20) were alternates.

In JV action, Holly Bennett checked in at 20:37 and Kaitlyn Daugherty finished in 20:55. Danielle Garrison and Emma Lemlin finished in 21:37 and 21:51, respectively, and Nohema Graber completed the course in 23:48. Adam Mueller was the fastest Trojan boy in the JV race with a time of 21:31, and Nathan Thompson finished next for Fairfield in 23:41. Jordan Van Dijk and Gannon Haile were clocked at 24:48 and 27:46, respectively.

The Trojans continue their busy week with a Thursday trip to Fort Madison.

Final Team Scores ? Girls

1. Williamsburg 43, 2. Newton 79, 3. Ottumwa 94, 4. Fairfield 107, 5. Albia 128, 6. Oskaloosa 151, 7. Knoxville 180, 8. Centerville 186, 9. Eddyville-Blakesburg 223

Fairfield Individual Results

4. Jessica Lamb (16:47), 14. Taylor Ferrel (17:52), 21. Hannah Sobaski (18:32), 30. Brianna Redmann (18:55), 40. Abby Melcher (19:47), 41. Chloe Spalla (19:49), 42. Tracy Andermann (19:55)

JV ? Holly Bennett (20:37), Kaitlyn Daugherty (20:55), Danielle Garrison (21:37), Emma Lemlin (21:51), Nohema Graber (23:48)

Final Team Scores ? Boys

1. Newton 53, 2. Williamsburg 66, 3. Oskaloosa 102, 4. Knoxville 128, 5. Ottumwa 139, 6. Albia 142, 7. Fairfield 143, 8. Eddyville-Blakesburg 160, 9. Pella Christian 210, 10. Centerville, 11. Chariton 338

Fairfield Individual Results

15. Randy Andermann (18:40), 18. Trevor Starnes (19:00), 32. Brandon Taglauer (19:42), 38. Jonah Marks (19:59), 40. Matt Carr (20:02), 53. Makena Dettman (20:46), 60. Darrin Dimmitt (21:20)

JV ? Adam Mueller (21:31), Nathan Thompson (23:41), Jordan Van Dijk (24:48), Gannon Haile (27:46)