Pella’s girls delivered their most complete performance of the young season Thursday at the Gilbert Invitational, dominating a deep field of ranked teams at the Iowa State University Cross Country Course.

The Dutch placed four runners among the first six, all seven varsity runners in the top 17 and scored only 26 points. Pella finished 72 points ahead of runner-up Des Moines Christian and won its third meet in as many opportunities.

The Pella boys finished ninth in the 20-team varsity field after senior Jonah Ebersole was unable to finish because of heat exhaustion. Ebersole is expected to make a full recovery and return for the Dutch at their next meet.

Brenneman Leads Commanding Victory

Senior Elsie Brenneman established control at the front of the race and never surrendered it.

Brenneman won in 17:48.11, finishing more than 36 seconds ahead of Des Moines Christian’s Elyse Erzen. It was Brenneman’s second victory in as many races after opening her season with a win at the Pella Invitational.

Freshman Maechen Cowman continued her impressive first high school season, placing third in 18:47.41. Senior Ruth Dunham finished fifth in 18:58.92, and junior Lizzy Vande Voort returned to the lineup with a sixth-place finish in 19:06.81.

Together, the four gave Pella an overwhelming presence near the front of the race. All four finished before any opposing team placed its second runner across the line.

Varsity Depth Separates the Dutch

The strength of Pella’s performance continued throughout the lineup.

Freshman Ellie Hardman placed 11th in 19:46.50, giving the Dutch five scorers among the first 11 finishers. Junior Erica Vos broke 20 minutes for the first time this season, finishing 14th in 19:58.10.

Junior Carleigh Altwine completed Pella’s varsity lineup with a 17th-place finish in 20:11.47.

All seven Dutch runners finished before any other team’s fourth runner. That depth allowed Pella to defeat a field that included several of the leading programs in Class 3A.

Pella scored 26 points, compared with 98 for No. 2 Des Moines Christian and 111 for No. 6 Sioux Center. The Dutch also finished well ahead of No. 4 Solon, which placed ninth with 250 points.

The result strengthened Pella’s position in its pursuit of a fifth consecutive Class 3A championship. It also provided encouraging evidence for the team’s Nike Nationals ambitions: Pella displayed both a legitimate front-running presence and the depth necessary to withstand an uneven performance or lineup change.

JV Girls Sweep the Front

Pella’s depth was even more evident in the junior varsity race.

Freshman Joanna Vande Voort won in 20:39.51, followed by junior Dana McCulla in 20:48.74, freshman Georgia Ferebee in 20:51.35 and junior Bryn Paulsen in 20:53.85.

Only 14 seconds separated the first four Dutch finishers.

Junior Anna Dobson completed Pella’s scoring five by placing seventh in 22:47.36. Sophomore Lauren VanKley finished eighth, and junior Keilah Schiebout placed 11th.

The Dutch scored 17 points to defeat runner-up Des Moines Christian by 56. Pella’s winning team average of 21:12.17 was more than two minutes faster than every opposing team average.

The performances of Vande Voort, McCulla, Ferebee and Paulsen would have placed all four among the top 30 in the varsity race. That provides another indication that Pella’s strength extends far beyond the seven runners who competed in the varsity lineup.

Boys Adjust After Losing Ebersole

The boys’ varsity race changed significantly when Ebersole, normally Pella’s leading runner, was unable to finish because of heat exhaustion.

Without their usual front-runner, the remaining Dutch runners were forced to move forward in the scoring lineup.

Senior Porter Carlton responded with his strongest performance of the season. Carlton broke 17 minutes and placed 14th in 16:58.54, leading Pella across the finish line.

Freshman Jonah Dunham continued his rapid emergence by becoming Pella’s second finisher. Dunham placed 48th in 17:56.88, breaking 18 minutes in just his third high school cross country meet.

Sophomore Zander Kanis followed in 18:05.79, junior Sam Keller finished in 18:14.11 and sophomore Silas Gaulke completed the scoring lineup in 18:20.00.

Only 24 seconds separated Pella’s second through fifth runners. That pack included one freshman, two sophomores and one junior—a promising sign for a young team still learning how to compete together.

Pella finished ninth with 236 points. Host Gilbert won with 63, followed by Sioux Center with 104 and Pella Christian with 119.

The final score showed how important Ebersole is to the Dutch lineup, but it did not erase the progress behind him. Carlton supplied a strong front-running performance, Dunham took another significant step forward and the young middle of the lineup competed closely together.

With Ebersole expected to return at the next meet, Pella can move forward with a clearer picture of the runners developing behind him as the Dutch pursue a fifth consecutive state-meet trophy.

Vande Voort Wins JV Boys Race

Sophomore Brandt Vande Voort provided another highlight by winning the boys’ junior varsity race in 18:36.48.

Junior Coben Browne placed fourth in 19:01.74, and senior Caiden Tuel finished 11th in 19:32.03. Freshman Cameron Punt and junior Reid Svenby completed Pella’s scoring five.

The Dutch finished second with 68 points, only nine behind Clear Creek-Amana. Pella actually recorded the faster five-runner average—19:24.53 compared with Clear Creek-Amana’s 19:30.85—but the Clippers’ tighter pack produced the lower score.

A Significant Early-Season Test

Gilbert gave both Pella teams important information heading toward the Heartland Classic.

For the girls, the meet was a statement of strength. Brenneman controlled the race, Cowman continued to establish herself among Iowa’s leading freshmen, Vande Voort returned to the lineup and the Dutch displayed extraordinary depth in both races.

For the boys, the meet became an unexpected test of resilience. Losing Ebersole changed the team’s outlook, but Carlton, Dunham and the young scoring pack responded with several encouraging performances.

The Dutch will return to competition Saturday, September 19, at the Heartland Classic at Central College.

Girls Varsity Team Results

Place Team Score
1 Pella 26
2 Des Moines Christian 98
3 Sioux Center 111
4 Clear Creek-Amana 190
5 West Marshall 195
6 North Polk 201
7 Van Meter 218
8 ADM 249
9 Solon 250
10 Forest City 250
11 Madrid 279
12 Winterset 302
13 Boone 330
14 Gilbert 377
15 Pella Christian 380
16 Bondurant-Farrar 400
17 Nevada 471
18 Carlisle 484
19 South Hamilton 594

Pella Girls Varsity Results

Place Athlete Grade Time
1 Elsie Brenneman 12 17:48.11
3 Maechen Cowman 9 18:47.41
5 Ruth Dunham 12 18:58.92
6 Lizzy Vande Voort 11 19:06.81
11 Ellie Hardman 9 19:46.50
14 Erica Vos 11 19:58.10
17 Carleigh Altwine 11 20:11.47

Girls Junior Varsity Team Results

Place Team Score
1 Pella 17
2 Des Moines Christian 73
3 North Polk 77
4 Clear Creek-Amana 133
5 Forest City 133
6 Sioux Center 136
7 Solon 201
8 Gilbert 249
9 Van Meter 254
10 ADM 298
11 West Marshall 329
12 Winterset 330

Pella Girls Junior Varsity Results

Place Athlete Grade Time
1 Joanna Vande Voort 9 20:39.51
2 Dana McCulla 11 20:48.74
3 Georgia Ferebee 9 20:51.35
4 Bryn Paulsen 11 20:53.85
7 Anna Dobson 11 22:47.36
8 Lauren VanKley 10 22:51.12
11 Keilah Schiebout 11 23:10.98
12 Ketziah Wittenberg 10 23:20.39
15 Eden Trine 10 23:42.37
20 Aubree Tafta 9 24:15.77
25 Hayden Bohn 10 24:39.65
26 Haylie DeVries 11 24:42.23
51 Danica Van Baale 11 25:41.46
72 Aubrey Finn 10 26:56.06
83 Sydney Uitermarkt 10 27:40.00
88 Jaeda Van Zante 12 27:58.24
94 Aurora Rankin 11 28:38.49
110 Allysen Hellbusch 10 29:26.36
115 Bethany Kramer 10 29:50.21
129 Taylor Glennon 12 31:52.67

Boys Varsity Team Results

Place Team Score
1 Gilbert 63
2 Sioux Center 104
3 Pella Christian 119
4 Des Moines Christian 123
5 Clear Creek-Amana 143
6 Bondurant-Farrar 187
7 Forest City 195
8 Carlisle 221
9 Pella 236
10 ADM 258
11 Earlham 297
12 Winterset 318
13 Nevada 327
14 Van Meter 380
15 Madrid 385
16 Solon 426
17 South Hamilton 437
18 North Polk 445
19 ACGC 500
20 Boone 575

Pella Boys Varsity Results

Place Athlete Grade Time
14 Porter Carlton 12 16:58.54
48 Jonah Dunham 9 17:56.88
55 Zander Kanis 10 18:05.79
59 Sam Keller 11 18:14.11
64 Silas Gaulke 10 18:20.00
98 Caleb Punt 12 19:08.08
DNF Jonah Ebersole 12 —

Boys Junior Varsity Team Results

Place Team Score
1 Clear Creek-Amana 59
2 Pella 68
3 Sioux Center 100
4 Gilbert 118
5 Carlisle 161
6 ADM 168
7 Forest City 184
8 Des Moines Christian 190
9 Nevada 201
10 North Polk 261
11 Winterset 267
12 Pella Christian 350
13 Solon 412

Pella Boys Junior Varsity Results

Place Athlete Grade Time
1 Brandt Vande Voort 10 18:36.48
4 Coben Browne 11 19:01.74
11 Caiden Tuel 12 19:32.03
25 Cameron Punt 9 19:55.29
28 Reid Svenby 11 19:57.10
31 Zane Redman 12 20:02.59
44 Henry Bottema 9 20:35.17
53 Finn Jones 9 20:46.33
66 Owen Gauley 11 21:06.78
97 Khy Edgeton 9 22:03.04
101 Kalon Browne 9 22:06.68
102 Beau Viesselman 9 22:07.44
122 Elim Redman 10 22:41.58
133 Malachi Van Haaften 12 23:05.30
134 Jonathan De Jong 10 23:10.11
141 Trevor Langner 9 23:24.93
147 Jude Kelpe 9 23:40.81
155 Xavier Keasling 10 23:51.62
181 Broden O’Neill 11 25:16.74
188 Easton Hannon 10 25:52.72
197 Beau Brenneman 9 26:34.25
206 Vyncent Hiemstra 9 27:43.30
212 Ezekiel Van Haaften 9 28:05.94
215 Michael Helm 10 28:49.96

Official complete results