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Iowa High School State Cross Country: Preston Johnson, Three Others Claim Titles

Individual and team championships handed out at Iowa high school state cross country meet.

Gilbert’s Logan Bleich (187) leads the boys race during the Gilbert Cross Country Invitational at the Iowa State Cross Country Course on Sept. 10, 2026, in Ames, Iowa. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Preston Johnson put an exclamation point on an incredible senior season Saturday at the Iowa High School State Cross Country Championships.

Johnson, the top runner from Marshalltown, captured gold in the Class 4A boys race. He laid down a time of 14:40, besting Keegan Decker of Iowa City Liberty by nearly 13 seconds.

Johnston’s Jack Crossland was third, as Kuma Gutema from Sioux City North finished fourth and Andrew Heden of Bettendorf was fifth.

Saturday featured the Class 3A and Class 4A races, after Class 1A and Class 2A competed Friday from Kennedy Park and Lakeside Golf Course.

Dowling Catholic won the boys team title, scoring 70 points. Cedar Falls was second and Iowa City Liberty third.

Cedar Falls sensation Charlee Gall captured the girls title in Class 4A. The junior went 17:13, as Maddie Millage of Pleasant Valley was second. Gall won by 17 seconds.

Emmy Stubbendeck from Waukee Northwest finished third, Gianna McCombs of Pleasant Valley was fourth and Presley Moeller from Davenport Central fifth.

Gall’s victory helped the Tigers win the team title, with Ankeny Centennial second and Waukee Northwest third.

Gilbert, Logan Bleich Continue To Dominate Class 3A

Once again, Gilbert handled business in the Class 3A race.

Logan Bleich was first and teammate Jacob Tallman second, as the Tigers claimed the team title with 98 points. Sioux Center was second and Cedar Rapids Xavier third.

Bleich went 15:12, with Tallman finishing in 15:21. Mason City’s Henry Hansen finished third, Andrew Allen of Cedar Rapids Xavier was fourth and a third Gilbert runner, Zach Stevermer, was fifth.

Evelyn Moeller out of Mount Vernon-Lisbon won the girls title in Class 3A, crossing in 17:07. Elsie Brenneman from Pella was second, Natalie Anderson of MOC-Floyd Valley third, Maechen Cowman from Pella fourth and Aaliyah Causey of Center Point-Urbana fifth.

Pella had all five counting runners finish in the Top-11 among counting runners, as they won the team title with just 34 points. Des Moines Christian was second and Williamsburg third.

Iowa High School State Cross Country Results

Class 3A

Girls Top-10 Individuals

  1. Evelyn Moeller, Mount Vernon-Lisbon, 17:07
  2. Elsie Brenneman, Pella, 17:38
  3. Natalie Anderson, MOC-Floyd Valley, 17:54
  4. Maechen Cowman, Pella, 18:00
  5. Aaliyah Causey, Center Point-Urbana, 18:04
  6. Grace Berglund, Glenwood, 18:11
  7. Audrina Jones, Sioux Center, 18:11
  8. Harper Winegarden, Williamsburg, 18:13
  9. Elyse Erzen, Des Moines Christian, 18:24
  10. Ruth Dunham, Pella, 18:26

Girls Top-10 Team Standings

  1. Pella, 34
  2. Des Moines Christian, 127
  3. Williamsburg, 151
  4. Dubuque Wahlert Catholic, 182
  5. North Polk, 193
  6. Decorah, 209
  7. Clear Lake, 209
  8. Mount Vernon-Lisbon, 209
  9. Sioux Center, 220
  10. MOC-Floyd Valley, 226

Boys Top-10 Individuals

  1. Logan Bleich, Gilbert, 15:12
  2. Jacob Tallman, Gilbert, 15:21
  3. Henry Hansen, Mason City, 15:57
  4. Andrew Allen, Cedar Rapids Xavier, 15:59
  5. Zach Stevermer, Gilbert, 16:01
  6. Matthew Dahm, Sioux Center, 16:02
  7. Luke McCormick, Des Moines Christian, 16:04
  8. Clarence Nimrod, Decorah, 16:07
  9. Lane Smith, Oskaloosa, 16:08
  10. Collin Cook, Marion, 16:08

Boys Top-10 Team Standings

  1. Gilbert, 98
  2. Sioux Center, 114
  3. Cedar Rapids Xavier, 120
  4. Decorah, 126
  5. Mount Vernon-Lisbon, 129
  6. Des Moines Christian, 162
  7. ADM, 230
  8. Davenport Assumption, 235
  9. Bondurant-Farrar, 236
  10. Pella, 240

Class 4A

Girls Top-10 Individuals

  1. Charlee Gall, Cedar Falls, 17:13
  2. Maddie Millage, Pleasant Valley, 17:30
  3. Emmy Stubbendeck, Waukee Northwest, 17:33
  4. Gianna McCombs, Pleasant Valley, 17:46
  5. Presley Moeller, 17:52
  6. Emma Weih, West Des Moines Valley, 18:00
  7. Hailey Kozloski, Linn-Mar, 18:05
  8. Isabel Spradling, Des Moines Roosevelt, 18:08
  9. Joley Sullivan, Davenport Central, 18:10
  10. Natalie Cogdill, Ankeny Centennial, 18:13

Girls Top-10 Team Standings

  1. Cedar Falls, 96
  2. Ankeny Centennial, 101
  3. Waukee Northwest, 102
  4. Pleasant Valley, 103
  5. Johnston, 159
  6. West Des Moines Valley, 208
  7. Dowling Catholic, 218
  8. Iowa City High, 225
  9. Davenport Central, 226
  10. Waukee, 241

Boys Top-10 Individuals

  1. Preston Johnson, Marshalltown, 14:40
  2. Keegan Decker, Iowa City Liberty, 14:53
  3. Jack Crossland, Johnston, 14:55
  4. Kuma Gutema, Sioux City North, 15:03
  5. Andrew Heden, Bettendorf, 15:07
  6. Dominic Williams, Cedar Falls, 15:21
  7. Cole Carrizales, Cedar Rapids Prairie, 15:22
  8. Tayson Cho, Iowa City Liberty, 15:26
  9. Jaxton Alvarez, Ankeny Centennial, 15:26
  10. Charlie Deick, Dowling Catholic, 15:32

Boys Top-10 Team Standings

  1. Dowling Catholic, 70
  2. Cedar Falls, 93
  3. Iowa City Liberty, 94
  4. Ankeny Centennial, 151
  5. Waukee, 152
  6. Dallas Center-Grimes, 158
  7. Cedar Rapids Prairie, 195
  8. Pleasant Valley, 241
  9. Davenport Central, 242
  10. Waukee Northwest, 257
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