Linn-Mar girls cross country poised to win first-ever state championship
MARION, Iowa (BVM) — This is a season the Linn-Mar High School girls cross country team has been building up to. The Lions, who are ranked No. 1 in the state and open the season Aug. 29, are all in on getting their first team IHSAA state title in program history. Linn-Mar finished third as a team at state last year and returns its top five runners from that squad.
“That experience I think is really going to help us hopefully coming into this season,” Linn-Mar coach Emily Burmeister said.
That experience includes senior Micah Poellett, a 2018 individual state champion, top 10 finishers at last year’s championship, sophomore Jordyn Beck and senior Chloe Skidmore, as well as seniors Lilly Geelan and Sarah Murphy.
“Linn-Mar cross country has been strong for a really long time,” said Burmeister, who was an assistant coach under former head coach Todd Goodell before taking over last year.
“I think it really comes down to this group of girls. My five seniors have been running together since they were in seventh grade. This is something they’ve been dreaming about for their whole lives it seems like and I know they are really motivated. I think it’s going to come down to them staying healthy, staying motivated and hopefully ending with a state title.”
The Lions will also be expecting contributions from junior Emily Schmidt and sophomore Abbey Vezina. Both were alternates last season and will be important parts of any state championship run the team makes this year.
Aside from the experience Linn-Mar is bringing back, the team has also had ample time to train for this season.
“They didn’t have track season so it’s kind of been a prolonged cross country training season,” Burmeister said.
It has led to the Lions being completely focused on the cross country season for months on end, but it still hasn’t been easy. The summer practices have been different due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Then only three weeks before the start of the season, Marion, like many Iowa towns, was hit hard by the derecho on Aug. 10.
“We canceled practice pretty much that entire week,” Burmeister said.
With trees and power lines covering their normal practice routes, the Lions have had to get creative. But through it all, they have become a stronger team.
“Cross country is one of those things where you have those friendships and you can lean on each other,” Burmeister said. “I think for them running has always been there. It makes them feel better. It’s been there through tough times and really good times.”
The seniors even started a food drive to help the Marion community after the derecho.
LMXC’s derecho food drive was a success! A big thank you to everyone who donated! pic.twitter.com/wokduhHzHh
— LMGirlsXC (@LMGirlsXC) August 21, 2020
COVID-19 regulations, the derecho aftermath and the uncertainty of the season have all been setbacks, but Linn-Mar is hoping this is still their year.
“We know it’s not going to be a typical season,” Burmeister said. “Running is still running.”
