Cyclone cross country starts season strong at Shenandoah

SHENANDOAH — The Harlan Community cross country teams got their 2026 seasons underway Tuesday at the Shenandoah Early Bird, with both Cyclone squads finishing near the top of the team standings.

The Cyclone girls finished second with 44 points, just four behind Treynor, while the boys placed third with 73 points.

While the girls came up just short of the team title, head coach Zach Klaassen felt the Cyclones were in position to win late in the race.

“I thought we were kind of in position to, at the two-mile mark, probably, or halfway through somewhere in there, to probably win that meet,” Klaassen said.

“We just kind of let a couple people slip in.” Treynor, the defending Class 2A state champion, held on for the four-point victory.

“They ended up beating us by four,” Klaassen said.

“So obviously, it’s tight and we just needed to get a couple head-to-head wins in there against a couple of their runners and we’re going to be okay.”

Julia Heslink led HCHS individually, finishing second in 20:29.99. Heslink improved on her third-place finish at last year’s meet.

Ashlyn Rau, who finished second a year ago, placed fourth in 21:13.23. Aspen Bieker was 10th in 22:30.35, followed by Sadie Alberti in 13th at 23:11.40 and Josie Sonderman in 15th at 23:50.64. Ava Freund finished 16th in 23:50.98 and Allie Anderson was 22nd in 24:28.05.

“They ran well,” Klaassen said of Heslink and Rau.

“I think they would both come out and tell you that they could have ran better.”

The heat also provided an early challenge for the Cyclones, who had done most of their summer training during cooler morning hours. “We haven’t trained in the heat really,” Klaassen said.

“All of our summer runs are at 7 in the morning.” Heslink said the difficult conditions made the season opener a valuable experience. “I think it’s a good way to start the year off,” Heslink said.

“It’s a hot day and pushing yourself and seeing that gap was kind of hard as a mindset, but knowing each step gets you closer to the finish line and water’s there, so it’s worth it.”

Heslink, who finished 12th at state last season, said the team’s commitment to pushing one another has helped build confidence heading into the new season.

Rau also credited the relationship between the two runners. “She makes me better, I make her better, so we just work together every day,” Rau said.

“I love her as a teammate. She always just brings a spark of joy and the energy to the group.”

The Cyclone boys finished third as a team, led by an individual championship from Jeffrey Gross.

Gross won the boys’ 5K in 17:02.24, improving from his second-place finish at last year’s Shenandoah Early Bird. “I think I ran awesome,” Gross said.

“Getting first, especially in this heat, is such a great accomplishment, and I couldn’t be more proud of the performance.”

Klaassen said Gross’ improved race strategy played a major role in the victory.

“He ran a smart race,” Klaassen said.

“He didn’t get way out front, didn’t explode off the gun. Just was very calm and relaxed and just got in that front and just kind of let people hang and then started to make some moves on some hills.”

Gross said he intentionally changed his approach after feeling like he used too much energy early in races last season.

“Last year I would always start at the front of the pack, so this year I wanted to do something a little different,” Gross said.

“I felt like I was losing a lot of energy after doing that, so this year I tried to relax a little more than I did.”

Gross was one of three Cyclones to finish in the top nine.

Erik Heslink placed fifth in 17:54.70, while Brogan Schechinger finished ninth in 18:42.39. Nathan Sandquist was 28th in 21:46, while Reghan Christensen was 41st in 23:21.65. Ramsey Hussing finished 43rd in 23:29.40, Daniel Kay was 47th in 24:55.61 and Phoenix Stevens placed 56th in 26:24.04.

“The three boys in the top nine is pretty awesome,” Klaassen said. “Erik ran a good race. He looked comfortable out there. And Brogan ran a much better race than he did last year at this time at Shenandoah.”

Klaassen said Schechinger’s continued development could provide another boost for the Cyclones.

“He’s getting stronger,” Klaassen said.

“I think he’ll get better with confidence.”

HCHS also had several runners gaining their first experience with the program, giving the Cyclones additional depth to work with moving forward. Klaassen said only four returning runners had significant experience from last season, while several newer runners had just a few practices under their belts.

“We picked up a couple extras that weren’t on the roster, which was good,” Klaassen said. “But they only have two or three practices under their belt. So they’re definitely not in shape yet, and we’re hoping to get them there.”

The early-season meets will give the coaching staff an opportunity to determine where those runners fit.

“You want to get kids out there. We haven’t raced all year,” Klaassen said. “You see the same kids every day running with each other and just kind of see where that separation is, see where we need to tighten some things up.”

The Cyclones will return to action Saturday at Glenwood at 9:45 a.m.