The Pella Christian cross country teams finished with a special day in Fort Dodge in the school’s first ever dual-team experience at the state cross country meet. Both teams outperformed their pre-race rankings, as the #11 girls placed 10th and the #9 boys placed 7th in Class 2A on Friday afternoon.

And just as they did so suddenly when practices started in August, the Eagles kept injured teammate Ryan Natelborg in their hearts — wishing he could be at the state cross country course with them. But Joslyn Terpstra and Bailey Vos with the P.C. girls believed he was still there in spirit, pushing them to the final finish line of 2022.

“We’re so proud of him and how he’s been fighting,” Terpstra says. “He’s been such an encouragement and motivation for us, and the strength God has given him is incredible — it’s been a miracle through his story.”

“Ryan gave me so much perspective this season — I was thinking during the race that this really could be my very last race, and Ryan didn’t know that last year when he was running his state meet,” Vos says. “He thought ‘I’ve got two more years,’ and everything. We really need to remember to give our best every time because you never know when it will be your last time.”

Natelborg remains in Colorado for now, rehabilitating from a swimming accident that occurred in July and has left him mostly paralyzed. Several community fundraisers have been ongoing to support the family from Prairie City as they transition to a new life — read more about them here. Natelborg and his story of inspiration–along with the Eagles being fueled by his courage, has been featured not only on 92.1 KRLS, but across several other media platforms.