The athletes on the Newton Boys and Girls Cross Country teams will be attempting to qualify in Pella for the State Meet next week. The 4 p.m. Qualifying Meet next Wednesday will host 13 schools including Pella, Knoxville, and Oskaloosa. This past Monday, Newton hosted the Little Hawkeye Conference Meet at Maytag Park. The Cardinal boys placed 6th out of the seven schools. Sophomore Cooper Lenz was Newton’s top finisher placing 22nd with a time of 17:33.3 Coach Steve Weeks noted the team did beat #20 ranked Oskaloosa and was only a few points away from beating a ranked Pella Christian team. The Newton girls finished at the bottom of the conference, but Girls Coach Rachelle Tipton said the team significantly closed the scoring gap from meets earlier in the season. She added it was good to see so many time improvements from the home meet in September. Freshman Audrey Muckler was the highest placing Cardinal. Her time of 20:50.5 placed her 16th.