Stensland is a four-sport standout at Gilbert, and the senior just knows how to win. A varsity contributor since he was a freshman in cross country, basketball, track and field, and soc- cer, Stensland has been a part of four team state championships — two in cross country and two in soccer. “Preston is just a competitor,” Thomas said. “He doesn’t like losing at anything.” Gilbert does have two spots in its varsity lineup to fill due to the graduation of all-stater Emmett Barber and John Artz, and Thomas believes there are a number of individuals tal- ented enough to step in and contribute. Landon Lucht, a senior, is poised to join the fray. Liam Trampel, a junior, filled in amicably for Tallman at the 2024 conference meet and placed 12th. He will eye a full-time spot in the lineup this fall. And then there are the freshmen — Zach Stevermer and Kiernan Ryan. Stevermer was one of the top middle school runners in the state a season ago, and Thomas thinks both of his rookies will make a push for varsity time. Talking about all of the returning talent and new talent leads to the $25,000 question: Just how big of a favorite in 3A are the Tigers? “At Gilbert and the teams I’ve had, this is probably the one where we’d be considered the heaviest of favorites,” Thomas concedes. “But think about it this way — Emrick didn’t run on the (state championship) team in 2023 and was 16th at the state meet in 2024. Even in 2023, everybody was back from the year before and you bring in two freshmen (Bleich and Tallman), and it just moved everybody on our team up. Other teams are capable of doing that this year.”
Pella, which was third a year ago, will be a contender again. Des Moines Christian lost some key pieces off its 2024 team, but will un- doubtedly be good again. Thomas likes what he sees out of Grinnell, and Mount Vernon/Lisbon has plenty of talent as well. Individually, the top six from the 2024 state meet all return. Western Dubuque’s Quentin Nauman is the defending champion and the Oregon recruit became a household name na- tionally in the spring and summer with his ex- ploits on the track. Pella’s Canaan Dunham was the individual gold medalist in 2023 be- fore settling for second behind Nauman a sea- son ago. Des Moines Christian’s Caleb Ten Pas was the bronze medalist in 2024. Early in the season, Gilbert will stretch its legs by going out of state to compete. The Tigers will travel to the Twin Cities to compete in the Roy Griak Invite on the campus of the University of Minnesota on Saturday, Sept. 20. A number of 4A schools from Iowa take part, as do some of the top teams from Minnesota and Wisconsin. The Tigers are taking the plunge to see how they stack up against some of the best squads in the Midwest. But you better believe they’re not going just to have fun. It will be a business trip. “The kids want to see if we can be one of the best teams in the Midwest,” Thomas said. “It’s an early-season meet, but it gives us a chance to really see where we stand against the best teams in Iowa, Minnesota and Wis- consin.” Talent. Culture. Support. Coaching. The four pillars of Gilbert cross country. They’ll all be on display this fall, and you won’t want to miss a moment of it.
FALL 2025 | GAME ON 53
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