Junior Ellie Blevins helped the fourth-ranked Ankeny Centennial girls’ cross country team to a runner-up finish in the Kirk Schmaltz Invitational on Thursday at the Iowa State cross country course in Ames. She placed third in the 5K race with a personal-best time of 18 minutes 2.4 seconds.
Blevins, who is ranked fifth in Class 4A as an individual, is a two-time state qualifier. She placed 43rd in last year’s state meet with a time of 19:18 while helping Centennial to a fourth-place finish.
Here is some inside info on Blevins:
How is the season going thus far?
This season has been going extremely well for our team. Losing the large senior class left open a lot of room on the varsity squad, and the freshman class worked very hard over the summer to fill in those spots. This season has also been going well for me personally, hitting my goals the second week in. The hard work the entire team put in over the summer is really paying off right now.
Your team has earned a pair of second-place finishes in the first two meets, finishing behind No. 3 Waukee Northwest both times. Do you feel like you are closing the gap on the Wolves, since your team cut the deficit from 19 points to nine in the span of nine days?
On paper, we are definitely closing the gap. Our entire varsity had an A+ day on Thursday. I can’t predict how the next races will go, but Northwest is definitely a great team to race and they are very competitive at all levels.
Have you been happy with your two races?
Yes, overall I am very happy with my past two performances. Obviously, I’m much more excited about my Ames time of 18:02 compared to my DMACC time of 19:17. The DMACC meet was a much-needed mental switch and reset as I needed to adjust to the team’s new look due to graduating such great role models that I followed last season. I have grown a lot as a person and as a runner these past two weeks.
You ran alongside teammate Rebecca Flick for much of Thursday’s race before she earned a second-place finish behind Makenna Madetzke of Ankeny. Are you surprised that Rebecca, a freshman, has made such a huge impact this early in her varsity career?
I am personally not surprised by her performances. Rebecca is such a hard-working athlete and is extremely talented. She splits her time between running and soccer, and is still a large part of the team. I know that she may have surprised others, but we knew what she had in her.
How much does it help you to have Rebecca as a training partner?
I am incredibly lucky to have such a large and talented team to train with. Rebecca splits her time with soccer, sometimes missing practice to manage her heavy workout load. Me and her run our weekly workouts together, pushing each other during reps. On recovery days when she is sometimes gone, I have many teammates to run with like Ella Campbell. Ella has really helped and pushed me to become more of a distance runner rather than mid distance. We run together almost every day of the week.
Your team’s lineup on Thursday included just one senior, Kylee Patterson. As perhaps the team’s most experienced runner, are you trying to be a leader for the squad?
Yes, I have completely taken on the leadership role for the younger girls. Just before the end of the 2025 track season, me and my coach Eric Cogdill had many conversations about the shift of the team. I still remember a note he left me at the start of the summer. “Iron sharpens iron, show them the way!” This really is what I’ve focused on this summer; if I put in the hard work, they will follow. At Centennial, we normalize the grind!
What are your goals for the season?
It’s actually funny that you ask this! One of my smaller goals was to be prep of the week. My main goal for the beginning of the season was to run under 19, and continuing through the season break into the 18:30s maybe once or twice. After this last meet, it still hasn’t quite registered how fast I am currently. Me and my coach have been working together on some big scary goals for the season. He has continuously told me to aim higher because if I don’t quite reach them, I can still find success where I fall.
Nakia Ollivierre of Waterloo West, who placed fourth in last year’s state meet, is currently ranked No. 1 in Class 4A. Do you consider her the favorite to win the individual state title, or do you feel like the race will be pretty wide open this year?
I think it’s too early in the season to tell. It is such a highly competitive field this year. Even looking at the Ames meet, the times to crack into the top 10 were crazy fast. There is always at least one or two surprises that come at state, so I definitely think it will be pretty open this year.
Are you planning to run in college, and if so, have you looked at any schools yet?
Yes, currently I am planning on running in college. I have started to look into schools, but up until a week ago I hadn’t quite met most of their recruiting standards. My entire view on running has been changed with so many more opportunities opening up. I am super excited for what my future in running holds.
What are you planning to study?
I’m not sure yet! I have a lot more decisions to make before I get to college, so I hope that I can find something that really interests me.