The Pella cross country teams opened the 2026 season Saturday with strong performances across every level at the Cedar Rapids Prairie Invitational.

The Dutch girls captured Orange Division team championships in the varsity, junior varsity and 9th/10th-grade races. Pella’s boys finished second in all three Orange Division races while displaying a tightly packed varsity group and introducing a promising freshman class.

Girls Varsity Wins Orange Division

Pella placed five runners among the first 21 finishers in the combined varsity race and won the Orange Division championship with 31 points.

Williamsburg finished second with 49 points, followed by Clear Creek-Amana with 77.

Junior Lizzy Vande Voort led the Dutch, covering the 5K course in 19:15.3. She placed fifth in the combined field and third among Orange Division runners.

Senior Ruth Dunham finished 10th overall in 19:36.6, while juniors Carleigh Altwine and Erica Vos crossed the line 12th and 13th. Altwine finished in 20:02.0, and Vos recorded a personal-best time of 20:05.5.

Junior Dana McCulla completed Pella’s scoring five with a 21st-place finish in 20:47.8.

Vande Voort, Dunham, Altwine, Vos and McCulla placed third, fifth, sixth, seventh and 10th within the Orange Division. The Dutch recorded a top-five average of approximately 19:57 and finished with a 1:32.5 scoring spread.

Anna Dobson finished in 22:59.7, and Gracen Andersen completed the varsity lineup in 23:57.7.

Cedar Falls junior Charlee Gall won the combined individual race in 18:10.8. Monticello sophomore Mary Grace Lyons was the Orange Division winner and placed second overall in 18:21.4.

Boys Use Tight Pack to Finish Second

Pella’s boys finished second in the Orange Division with 66 points. Clear Creek-Amana won the division with 46, while Marion placed third with 86.

The Dutch were led by three runners separated by just six seconds.

Sophomore Zander Kanis finished in 17:41.0, senior Jonah Ebersole followed in 17:42.2 and sophomore Brandt Vande Voort crossed the line in 17:47.0. The trio placed eighth, ninth and 10th within the Orange Division.

Sophomore Silas Gaulke was Pella’s fourth runner in 18:09.6. Junior Sam Keller completed the scoring five with a personal-best time of 18:16.7.

Only 35.7 seconds separated Pella’s first and fifth runners, who combined for a 17:55.3 average.

Senior Caleb Punt finished in 18:55.3, and junior Coben Browne completed the varsity lineup in 19:20.1.

The meet provided an encouraging first look at a young Dutch varsity group replacing several key members of last season’s state-trophy team. Four of Pella’s five scoring runners are underclassmen, and the group’s compact finish gives the Dutch a solid foundation moving into September.

Cowman Leads Historic Freshman Performance

Pella’s freshman girls delivered one of the strongest performances of the morning, winning the Orange Division 9th/10th-grade race with a perfect score of 15.

Freshman Maechen Cowman won the Orange Division and the combined race in 15:01.1. Her performance was the fastest 4K time recorded by a Pella girl since the Dutch began competing at the Prairie Invitational.

Elliana Hardman finished second overall in 15:45.2, giving Pella the top two finishers in the combined field.

Joanna Vande Voort placed sixth overall in 16:28.3, and Georgia Ferebee finished ninth in 17:03.0.

Aubree Tafta completed Pella’s scoring five in 19:51.3. The five Dutch scorers occupied the first five positions within the Orange Division.

Sydney Uitermarkt and Allysen Hellbusch also competed for Pella in the 4K race.

The Prairie meet allowed the freshmen to begin their high school careers over 4,000 meters while learning the Dutch program’s race-day preparation and routines. They will move to the full 5K distance at the Pella Invitational.

Dunham Leads Freshman Boys

Freshman Jonah Dunham led Pella’s boys with a 14:18.2 finish in the 9th/10th-grade 4K. Dunham won the Orange Division individual title and placed fourth in the combined race.

Pella finished second in the Orange Division with 36 points. Clear Creek-Amana won with 22.

Cameron Punt was Pella’s second scorer in 15:36.0. Finn Jones finished in 16:01.8, Kalon Browne ran 16:40.7 and Khy Edgeton completed the scoring five in 16:50.3.

Henry Bottema, Beau Viesselman and Trevor Langner also represented Pella in the freshman race.

Dunham’s performance was particularly notable in his first high school cross country competition. His 4K time places him immediately among the program’s runners to watch as the distance increases to 5,000 meters.

Junior Varsity Girls Add Another Perfect Score

Pella’s girls completed a sweep of the Orange Division team championships by winning the junior varsity race with a perfect score of 15.

Keilah Schiebout led the Dutch with a time of 22:47.8. Lauren Van Kley followed in a personal-best 22:59.0, and McKyndree Treft finished in 23:17.4.

Haylie DeVries recorded a personal-best 23:55.5, with Ketziah Wittenberg completing Pella’s scoring five in 23:56.3.

The Dutch claimed the first six Orange Division positions and seven of the first eight. Hayden Bohn, Eden Trine, Danica Van Baale, Aubrey Finn, Bethany Kramer, Stephanie Schrauben, Aurora Rankin and Taylor Glennon also competed for Pella.

Pella finished with 15 points, while Marion placed second with 49.

Boys Junior Varsity Places Second

The Dutch boys finished second in the Orange Division junior varsity race with 54 points. Clear Creek-Amana won with 24, and Monticello placed third with 72.

Junior Owen Gauley led Pella in 20:09.8. Reid Svenby finished in 20:30.4, followed by Zane Redman in 20:54.8 and Jackson Renaud in 21:21.0.

Malachi Van Haaften completed the scoring five in 22:31.9.

Xavier Keasling recorded a personal-best 23:19.0. Elim Redman, Easton Hannon, Broden O’Neill and Jonathan De Jong completed Pella’s junior varsity competitors.

Dutch Return Home Saturday

Pella will return to competition Saturday, September 5, when the Dutch host the 2026 Pella Invitational at the Central College Cross Country Course.

The girls race will begin at 9:00 a.m., with the boys following at 9:40. The meet will feature one combined race for each gender, giving Pella’s varsity, junior varsity and freshman runners an opportunity to compete together in the program’s only home appearance of the season.

Pella Individual Results

Places shown are from the combined race fields.

Girls Varsity 5K

Boys Varsity 5K

Girls 9th/10th-Grade 4K

Boys 9th/10th-Grade 4K

Girls Junior Varsity 5K

Boys Junior Varsity 5K