A pair of experienced sophomore runners for the Adel-Desoto-Minburn Tigers varsity cross country team will vie for an individual championship this weekend in Fort Dodge. Both Nate Mueller and Ethan Jurgens qualified for the 2018 Iowa State Cross Country meet after top-five performances in last Thursday’s qualifying race in Glenwood. Mueller was the runner-up medalist with a time of 16:29, and Jurgens placed fourth at 16:48. The Raccoon Valley Radio Network spoke with ADM head cross country coach David Zwank last Thursday after the qualifying race. He says experience is always good when running at the state meet. “It was 100 percent great that they were there last year,” Zwank said, “That’s part of why I still look at that group last year and praise what they did because it did set these two young men up for success in future years, not just last year.”

The ADM boys cross country team won’t make a second straight trip as a squad to the state meet. The Tigers were the first team to miss the race, finishing fourth in the final team standings with 112 points. Mueller closed his freshman cross country season as a Class 3A medalist with a 10th place finish at 16:30. Jurgens cross the finish line in 23rd place at 16:54. The 2018 Iowa State Cross Country Meet’s Class 3A race will begin around 12:30 p.m. this Saturday from the Lakeside Municipal Golf Course in Fort Dodge. The Raccoon Valley Radio Network will provide updates throughout the day Saturday from the state cross country meet.