FORT DODGE — PCM head cross country coach Eric Karr is convinced Mustang freshman Abi Teeter would have turned in a personal-best time if she was running on any other course and in any other meet on Friday.
Teeter did not run her best time ever at the Iowa High School State Cross Country Championships, but a few factors contributed to her coming up 17 seconds short.
In the end, Teeter placed 75th in the Class 2A girls’ 5K race at the state cross country meet.
“I thought she had a fantastic race,” Karr said. “It’s hard for me to say if this was on any other course, she wouldn’t have had a huge PR.
“When you are talking about 17 seconds off a PR, in a race you have to work so much harder and deal with so many more obstacles, it was just a fantastic race.”
Teeter’s time at Lakeside Municipal Golf Course was clocked in 21 minutes, 19.32 seconds. To earn a medal in the 2A girls’ race, runners had to finish the race in at least 19:51.13.
“It was a good experience and there were a lot of girls. It was different than I expected it to be,” Teeter said. “I didn’t run a PR, but I had to come to a complete stop at a corner and move back out onto the course during the second mile. And the fans were running onto the course, too, which forced me to slow down at times.”
Class 2A No. 1 Danielle Hostetler won her third individual state championship with a time of 18:41.64.
Second-ranked Katelyn Johnston of Osage was the runner-up in 19:01.7. Fourth-ranked Clare Kelly of Van Meter finished third in 19:05.9.
Top-ranked Van Meter edged seventh-ranked Williamsburg for the 2A team championship. The Bulldogs won the meet with 111 points and the Raiders scored 113 in second. Third-ranked Monticello (145) was third.
Teeter ended her eighth-grade season in a boot so finishing 75th and coming 17 seconds off a personal-best time at the state meet is a much better way to end a season.
Before next year, Teeter hopes to get better with one specific thing.
“I want to work on going down hills,” Teeter said. “I struggled with that a lot. I want to figure out a way to bring myself down hills without hurting my shins.
“My mentality this year has helped me. Saying I can got me to the point where I knew I could.”
Teeter said she did not get boxed in to start the race. Karr, though, said she did allow faster runners to get out quicker at the start line. That might also have affected her overall time.
“She also had to literally stop, and the crowd running through the course forces you to slow down, too,” Karr said. “We ran with this many runners at Centerville, but the competition here is obviously much better. You are in a pack and sort of boxed in for most of the race. It’s hard to get into a rhythm unless you are way out in front. Getting close to a PR is incredible.”