Senior Vanessa Wise helped the Ankeny girls’ cross country team to a fourth-place finish in a Class 4A state qualifying meet on Wednesday at Kickers Park in Iowa City.
Wise placed 21st in the 5k race to qualify for the state meet as an individual. She posted a time of 21 minutes 19.9 seconds.
Here is some inside info on Wise:
Congratulations on making it to the state meet. What was your reaction when you found out that you had qualified?
Thank you! Initially, when my coach came up to me and told me I had qualified individually, I was so excited and surprised, and I had tears fill my eyes because I never envisioned myself being able to qualify for state. It didn’t even feel like an achievable goal in my head, but I’m super excited about it.
You outkicked Muscatine’s Lou Anderson for the final individual qualifying spot, finishing just one-tenth of a second ahead of her. Did you know what was at stake as you approached the finish line?
I knew something important was at stake, but not exactly what. I assumed it was either for our team to qualify or maybe even for me as an individual, but I only knew this because of how my coaches were screaming at me as I was getting close to the finish that I needed to get that next girl.
Going into the meet, did you think you had a chance to qualify as an individual?
No, not at all actually. I thought we had a better chance of qualifying as a team than I did as an individual. It wasn’t really ever a thought in my mind that I could qualify as an individual.
I know you were running against a lot of teams from eastern Iowa that you don’t typically see. Were there any runners in the field that you were trying to target during the race?
Not specifically, no. I was going into the race knowing who I wanted to pace and run with on my team, since a lot of us are right around the same time. But I also knew I had to run my own race and really be able to read how I was feeling to be able to perform my best.
Your teammate, Mia Heim, also qualified for state by placing 12th in a time of 20:19. What can you say about the way she performed?
She did absolutely amazing. I know she pushed herself really hard and did her best like she always does. And I’m super proud of her; qualifying individually as a freshman is a super big accomplishment. I always wish I could cheer for her during her race, but sadly that isn’t an option.
Your coach, Josh Einertson, told me that he didn’t know what to expect going into the meet because he didn’t know much about the course. What did you think of the course?
I think it definitely helped that I had never ran it before because I just got to go out there and race it, rather than overthinking it and letting those other factors impact me pre-race. But the course definitely wasn’t my favorite. The hills were pretty rough, making it a hard course, but I didn’t think it was too terrible and I very much enjoyed the flat area that wrapped around the soccer fields.
This is the first year that coach Einertson has been the team’s head coach. What has he brought to the program?
He’s brought a lot of fun to the team for sure. A lot of the girls on the team have gotten pretty close with him, and our practices are filled with lots of jokes and fun messing around. He has also brought more drive and confidence to a lot of the girls on the team, so it’s a good balance.
Mia is one of five freshmen in your team’s varsity lineup. Have you and fellow senior Gillian Schramm tried to provide leadership for the younger girls, and if so, how?
Yeah we’ve done a lot of leadership things, and even Bella Sullivan too–she’s been right there with us all season. The three of us get along really well with the freshmen we run with every day. I think it’s just the little things that we do to unify the team, like leading our stretching routine and our pre-race prayer circle, helping them know when to start warming up on meet days and when we go to our starting box. And then of course, just answering the little questions they have here and there about running, our program, and even things in their life outside of cross country.
What’s your goal for the state meet?
I would love to go sub-20. It might be a bit of a stretch goal, but I’m willing to push toward it. It’ll be pretty hard to do and depends a lot on the weather that day. But at the end of the day, my biggest goal is just to have fun and enjoy it and take in my last time ever racing for Ankeny cross country.
You mentioned the weather factor. The forecast right now calls for a high temperature of about 60 degrees and cloudy conditions on Saturday. Does that sound like some pretty good conditions to run in?
Yes, that sounds absolutely beautiful, especially for our state meet since it’s usually absolutely freezing by this time of year, and in previous years there has even been snow on the ground at state. So yeah, I’m definitely super excited it’s supposed to stay nice and pretty warm because I personally run best in warmer temperatures.
You ran on the course earlier this month at the Fort Dodge Invitational, where you placed 86th in a time of 20:45. What is the key to having a good race on that course?
It’s definitely dependent on each individual athlete, but for me personally, since it’s more of a flatter course, I focus on getting out hard and getting a good time on mile one, and then continuing to push through mile two, and then just hanging on to other girls around me for the last mile or so.