Junior Trinity Klingensmith helped the second-ranked Ankeny Centennial girls’ cross country team to a runner-up finish in the Fort Dodge Invitational on Thursday at Lakeside Golf Course. She placed 33rd in the 5k race with a time of 19 minutes 37.6 seconds.
Klingensmith is a two-time state qualifier. She took 83rd in 20:07 as a freshman in 2024 as the Jaguars earned a fourth-place finish, then placed 71st in 19:50 last year to help her team to a fifth-place finish and a school-record score of 136 points.
Here is some inside info on Klingensmith:
Were you happy with your race at Fort Dodge?
I was very pleased with my performance. I think I ran well as I ran a seasonal PR.
What did you think of your team’s performance?
I think our performance was amazing. All of us girls work so hard to be where we are right now, and I couldn’t be happier to run alongside all my best friends.
How was the condition of the course, which will host the state meet later this month, after all the rain we’ve had?
The condition of the course was the best I’ve ever ran on at Fort Dodge. It was absolutely perfect, and I couldn’t have asked for a better day.
This was just your team’s second meet in the last 23 days due to the rainy weather that cancelled a couple of meets. Have you had to make some adjustments to your training schedule during that stretch?
Yes, we have. We’ve adjusted accordingly to help get us meet ready, but have still been able to push each other to get better throughout the past few weeks.
Your team placed sixth in the prestigious Gans Creek Classic on Sept. 25 at Columbia, Mo. Did you enjoy competing against such an elite field?
Yes, I enjoyed competing there. It was such a surreal experience and will be a memory that I will always remember. Just being there with my team was the best part. We allowed ourselves to go out there and show just how hard we’ve been working as a team.
Other than senior Ellie Blevins, you are the only upperclassman in the team’s varsity lineup. Have you tried to help out Ellie as far as being a leader for some of the younger girls?
Yes, of course, I try to be there for all my underclassmen. We’ve been able to establish a community that’s not just teammates but sisters. Us girls will always be there for each other no matter what.
Your dad, Eric, coached the Ankeny girls’ team for several years before resigning from his position in 2022, so you obviously grew up around the sport. Did you always want to become a runner too?
Actually, no. I always told my dad that running was never going to be for me. I rode my bike everywhere and refused to run any more than a 100 while at practice with my dad when I was younger. It wasn’t until he threw me into a youth 3k for ATC that I finally started the running aspect of my life.
Did you play some other sports when you were younger?
Yes. I played softball up until fifth grade and basketball until eighth. I always knew running would come first, but I liked having open options.
The regional assignments come out this week. Do you have a preference for where your team is assigned, since it will likely be either Johnston, Marshalltown or Southeast Polk?
I would love to go back to Marshalltown. We were there my freshman year, and it is just such a great course to run.
Your team has a chance to surpass the third-place finish in 2020 which was the best state meet finish in program history. Do you think this team can contend for the Class 4A title?
Yes. We’ve worked so hard this season, and I know we have it in us to help each other to the top. Every single girl on this team has the determination and grit needed to be up there, but no matter what I will be so proud of everybody out there and we will walk away a family.
Do you have an individual goal for the state meet?
Yes, I would love to be sub-19:30. I would also be so grateful to earn a spot up on that deck with my girls, celebrating how hard we’ve worked this season.