Mueller, as well as fellow seniors Maggie Danilson, Grace Brosamle, and Kate Melody all have a chance to leave their marks on the season as well. Mueller fit into the No. 7 spot in the lineup throughout the 2024 season. Da- nilson was a pivotal member of the 2023 team that placed third at state — she was 45th in the large field — but then missed the entire 2024 campaign while recovering from hip sur- gery. Brosamle also missed a significant chunk of the 2024 season due to injury. “I really do think all of those girls are going to be pivotal members of this varsity mix,” Kautman said. “With Maggie and Grace be- cause of the injuries, we just need to be smart as to how to progress them into the mix.” Juniors Allie Grandgenett and Lucy Kraehling, sophomore Brooklyn Nelson, and freshmen Clare Tallman and Lexie Bleich could all make pushes to compete at the var- sity level for the Tigers as well. Kautman says the full roster will once again hover around 35 student-athletes, a testament to the tradition of the program. The Tigers would like nothing more than to defend the RRC crown they won a season ago, but it won’t be easy. Winterset placed fifth at state a season ago and returns five runners, and North Polk also ran at state and brings back six contributors. Kautman also thinks Boone, led by state runner Emmalyn Thomas, will be a contender. “Boone has some incoming freshmen who are really talented, so I see them being in contention,” she said. “Winterset will be strong again, and all of North Polk’s athletics will be on the rise. I think we’ll be in the mix, too.” Kautman fondly remembers how much her team celebrated its conference title last fall.
“That conference championship was so sweet because every single girl stepped up and did more than they probably should have,” she said. “Talk about an underdog situ- ation. It was awesome.” Individually, Alexis Hergenreter of North Polk was the 2024 conference silver medalist and also the league’s highest finisher at state (11th in 3A). Kautman knows it won’t be easy to return to the state meet. Her team is unproven, and the rest of the state is only going to get better. But neither she nor her student-athletes are intimi- dated. Not even by Pella, which has won three consecutive 3A state team titles and will be the overwhelming favorite to push that streak to four this fall. The Dutch are led by senior Marissa Ferebee, a two-time individual state champion who recently verbally com- mitted to run collegiately at the University of Arkansas. “Pella is just really good,” Kautman said. The Tigers aren’t worried about Pella though. Not yet anyway. The same goes for Winterset, North Polk, Boone, and any other team that will step onto the starting line with them. For now, the focus is on themselves. On building those bonds. On the improvements. On those small forward steps that will hope- fully turn into gigantic leaps come October. Trust. That’s the word of the season. Build it the right way and the sky could be the limit for these Tigers.
FALL 2025 | GAME ON 31
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