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After another fantastic cross country season on Eagle Lane, Pella Christian Head Coach Mike Buchheit was recognized as one of five coaches chosen as an At-Large Class 2A Boys Coach of the Year from the Iowa Association of Track Coaches. 

The honor was the second in as many years for Buchheit, who was recognized for his work in 2021 with the Class 1A State Qualifying Eagles boys team. 

Pella Christian opened the season outside the top 20 rankings in Class 2A released on August 19th but changed that on September 6th entering the poll at #14. The Eagles climbed to as high as #9 by State on October 28th but outperformed that mark with a seventh-place finish in Fort Dodge. 

In addition to the team being ranked throughout the season, Kaden Van Wyngarden was ranked as an individual for much of the season. The senior held individual rankings of 12th, 14th, and 17th, but exceeded that ranking at State with an All-State eighth place finish. Van Wyngarden also broke Skyler Giddings’ 2010 school record for the fastest 5k time at the Centerville Cross Country Invitational on October 4th with a time of 16:10.

On top of the successes that Coach Buchheit’s boys team has seen the past two seasons, the girls cross country squad reached the State Meet for the first time since the 2008 season. The Eagles cross country program has also broken school records for participation in each of the last two seasons under Buchheit.