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The Decorah girls' and boys' cross-country teams delivered strong performances at the Western Dubuque Invitational on Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024, at Western Dubuque High School. Both teams saw some tough competition, but came out on top. Girls' head coach Christy Nimrod praised her team for their effort, especially as they ventured farther from home. "This was a good learning meet for us," Nimrod said. "It's fun to run against different competition." The Decorah girls captured first place in the varsity 5k, finishing with 24 points. Wahlert Dubuque took second with 36 points, while Waukon placed third with 80 points. The top five team standings were: Decorah – 24 Wahlert Dubuque – 36 Waukon – 80 Epworth Western Dubuque – 113 Clayton Ridge Guttenberg – 118 Junior Nora Lesmeister led the way for the Decorah girls, winning the individual title with a time of 23 minutes, 17.9 seconds. Other top finishers for the Vikings included: 7th: Elsa Johnson – 24:08.2 11th: Ellie Adams – 24:40.0 13th: Grace Blikre – 24:51.4 15th: Simone Downing – 24:56.4 17th: Natalie Holthaus – 24:58.8 19th: Willow Blair – 25:21.4 On the boys' side, Decorah earned second place with 52 points, finishing just behind Central DeWitt's winning total of 44 points. Boys' head coach Brad Johansen was pleased with the team's effort. "A solid effort made by the team to improve," Johansen said. "The results speak to the quality depth of the team."The top five finishers for Decorah were tightly grouped, all placing within the top 15 runners: 7th: Landyn Hook – 17:21.8 9th: Garrett See – 17:25.1 11th: Davis Coppola – 17:31.9 12th: Grant Zilka – 17:35.0 13th: Mitchell Stemper – 17:35.8 The boys' top five team standings were: Central DeWitt – 44 Decorah – 52 Epworth Western Dubuque – 100 Waterloo West – 108 Monticello – 124 Feed your curiosity! Subscribe to the free newsletter and indulge in all that's local. Your friends will be impressed.

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Decorah Cross Country Teams Shine at Western Dubuque Invitational