Joe Wilkinson

DUBUQUE– With spring break this week, it is especially quiet in the classroom and out on the track. What lies ahead with the coronavirus pandemic should show major changes in how classroom and outside school activities are conducted through spring, in Solon, in Iowa and across the nation.
But there has been a start. For Solon’s girls, that came March 3, at the University of Dubuque. With a fourth-place finish among 20 Eastern Iowa teams, the Lady Spartans logged 40.5 points.
On the way there, they picked up first- through fifth-place points in six of the 11 indoor events.

FORT DODGE– Turning on the jets with less than a half-mile to go, Solon sophomore Gabe Hinman threaded his way through the pack. He picked up some valuable real estate at the Kennedy Park Golf (and cross country) course, Saturday, finishing 35th at the Class 3A state cross country meet.
“Gabe had a great meet,” applauded head coach Emy Williams. “He ran most of the race in 43rd place. In the last 400 meters he caught a lot of runners and ended up 35th. His experience from the year before (when he finished 46th as a freshman) helped, too.

SOLON– For Solon sophomore Gabe Hinman, it’ll be another afternoon on the links. But not for golf. He joins more than 100 other runners… and a couple thousand screaming, mobile fans at Kennedy Park Golf Course Saturday, Nov. 2, for the 2019 Iowa State High School Cross Country Meet.
Finishing 11th at Solon’s Oct. 24 Class 3A qualifying meet, Hinman will be in a starting box, 12:30 p.m., in Fort Dodge. He will be one of a couple dozen individual runners, in the 3A race. He also qualified a year ago, as a freshman, finishing 46th.

MANCHESTER– With a runner-up finish in the 14-team WaMaC Conference cross country meet, Solon’s girls now take aim at their second season… the regional qualifier and, hopefully, a box on the starting line at the Nov. 2 Iowa girls high school state meet.

KALONA– There is a reason most noise at cross country meets comes near the finish line. That’s where the crowd is! As runners close in on 5,000 meters, the fans want to see their finish.
Sure, Mid-Prairie’s top ranked– and Future Hall of Famer– Marie Hostletler is going to win by more than a minute each time out. However, the excitement builds as the next 10, 50 or 100 girls fight for position. Solon’s girls provided a couple such moments, at the Hillcrest Academy Invite, October 7.