enough time trying to make them better, I hope they all an- swer yes, and that’s what I think about sometimes. It’s fun to have success, but also what was the experience of every single girl on the roster?” Success this fall could come in various forms for a team that will have some holes to fill in the lineup. Four of last year’s state team members — Sarah Feddersen, Abby Patel, Sophia Bleich, and Mia Kautman — have graduated. Feddersen is the program’s 5K record holder and placed a team-high 23rd at the 2024 state meet. The good news is that three members of last year’s core crop — seniors Keira Andersen, Kaitlyn Dear, and Raya Mueller — return to the fold this fall and they’ll be who Kautman leans on when it comes to on course leadership. Andersen, who has run in three state meets, is coming off a stellar spring season on the track in which she captured the 3A state title in the 800-meter run, and she also ran on Gilbert’s state gold medal-winning 4x800 and distance medley relays. Andersen is extremely talented. And her confidence in her own abilities has never been higher, which could lead to a breakout senior season this fall. “Keira has had a really strong summer of training after having so much success in the spring, and her ability to generate some excitement for running and pulling girls along is huge,” Kautman said. “She also has a super com- petitive fire and that is contagious.” Despite missing the bulk of the 2024 regular season due to injury, Andersen returned last fall to earn all-conference honors in helping Gilbert claim the Raccoon River Confer- ence crown, and she went on to place 56th at state, her best appearance in three races on the layout at Lakeside Golf Course. Running right alongside Andersen on all of the preseason training runs has been fellow senior Kaitlyn Dear, who also made people pay attention with a standout spring track season. She ran on the state championship 4x800 as well,
and now sees this fall as a chance to improve upon last fall when she placed 69th at state. “Kaitlyn had a lot of success in cross country last season and was then pivotal in track,” Kautman said. “She just has a ton of upside, and she’s really determined to have her senior season be her best season.”
30 GAME ON | FALL 2025
Made with FlippingBook - PDF hosting