Monday marked the annual Raccoon River Conference meet for the Adel-Desoto-Minburn Tigers cross country team; The Tigers had four boys and two girls finish in the top 17 at Winterset’s Lakeview Country Club, earning a spot on this year’s all-conference squad. Three of the six all-conference performers are first-time high school runners, include this year’s Raccoon River Conference boys champion, Nate Mueller.

ADM head cross country coach David Zwank said Mueller’s the first outright conference champion the Tigers have had in a while. “Mason Frank would’ve been our last individual (conference) champion, and that was 10 plus years ago,” Zwank said, “If you would’ve told me at the beginning of the season that we were going to have a conference champion, and that it would have been a freshman, I’m pretty sure I would’ve laughed at you.”

Mueller’s time of 16:21 was a full half minute better than the rest of the field. Ethan Jurgens was the next best ADM finisher in the boy’s race, taking fifth place at 17:15. The girl’s race featured a seventh-place finish for Hannah Welch, clocking a time of 21:10. Zwank says it was neat to see multiple first-year students make the all-conference team. “Things change year in and year out, but it’s certainly a promising future for what those kids are capable of.”

The ADM boys and girls cross country teams are gearing up for their most important race to date, next Thursday’s state qualifying meet in Atlantic.