There are only eight total teams that leave the Lakeside Golf Course in Fort Dodge with state cross country championship trophies each year — and this weekend, two of those made their way back to the Pella city limits.
The Dutch boys and girls won Class 3A titles Saturday, capping a season in which the two won several races over the past few months and earned top rankings from the Iowa Track Coaches Association heading into the races that featured the best teams and athletes from the 2022 season.
Pella Head Coach Doug Cutler says the most satisfying part of the victories was actually the journey leading up to October 29th that started at the beginning of November of last year, and while the trophies are special — especially sweeping both, he’s thankful for the memories made along the way.
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COACH CUTLER INFORMS THE GIRLS THEY ARE STATE CHAMPIONS:
The moment @PellaDutchXC found out they were champions. I'll remember it for a long time. @PellaActivities @iatfcc @MikeJaytrackxc #iahsxc pic.twitter.com/XOFTiY6H5y
— Andrew Schneider (@xzono) October 31, 2022
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The Dutch are just the 15th school ever to win both the boys and girls state races in the same season, and the first to do so in a decade and since the Iowa High School Athletic Girls Union adopted the 5K race for girls.
Tune into Let’s Talk Pella today and Tuesday to hear from the Pella Dutch cross country state champions.