Teegan Kralik, Norwalk, jr.

The Norwalk boys cross country team ran in their sixth consecutive State Meet last Friday, placing fifth in Class 4A at Lakeside Municipal Golf Course near Fort Dodge. Junior Teegan Kralik kept another developing streak alive for the Warriors by placing 14th out of 131 runners. Kralik’s time of 15 minutes, 45 seconds earned him All-State status and marked the third straight year the Warriors have claimed a 4A individual medalist. He follows in the footsteps of Noah Buhrow last year and Donovan Card in 2022.

Kralik ran about a minute faster than at last year’s State Meet and improved his placement by 65 spots. Earlier this season, he placed second at both the Little Hawkeye Conference Meet and the 4A State Qualifying Meet in Marshalltown. Kralik tells KNIA/KRLS Sports that Class 4A is extremely challenging and that he’s proud of the whole team’s performance.

“It was a really tough race. I really had to push myself through it,” he said. “So much of it I wanted to give up, but I was dedicated. I’ve worked too hard for this to only come this far. And I’m so proud of the rest of my guys for being up here all the way. I know all of these guys are working just as hard as I am and they all deserve it just as much as I do.”

Norwalk senior Tony Anania earned a top-30 state meet finish for the second straight year, placing 28th in the field. As a team, the sixth-ranked Warriors improved eight spots from a year ago by placing fifth out of 15 teams with a score of 191.