The Ballard women's cross country team put together a solid performance at the Raccoon River Conference Meet, held at the challenging Lakeview Golf and Country Club in Winterset.  The Bombers finished in 5th place with 88 points, competing against tough conference rivals and showing strong individual efforts across the board.

Leading the way for Ballard was Annika Larson, who crossed the finish line first overall with an impressive time of 19:33.50, setting the tone for the Bombers.  Larson's dominant performance, paired with strong runs by Brynn Wilson (8th place, 20:20.83) and Raya Miller (22nd place, 21:39.86), kept Ballard competitive throughout the meet.

Also contributing to the team's success were Kya Hermann, who finished 24th with a time of 21:47.48, and Grace Grundmeyer, who rounded out the scoring with a 33rd-place finish, clocking in at 22:41.96. Ava Richardson (23:11.05) and Nora Showman (23:15.88) also had solid runs as the Bombers demonstrated depth across their roster.

The Bombers finished with a total team time of 1:46:03.63, averaging 21:12.73 per runner.  Gilbert claimed the team title with 54 points, while Winterset (64) and North Polk (74) finished second and third, respectively.

Next up for the Ballard Bombers is the State Qualifying Meet on Wednesday, October 23.  The location is yet to be determined, but the race will start at 4:00 PM as Ballard looks to continue its season and earn a spot at the state championships.

RACCOON RIVER CONFERENCE WOMEN'S TEAM SCORES

1. Gilbert, 54

2. Winterset, 64

3. North Polk, 74

4. ADM, 84

5. Ballard, 88

6. Bondurant-Farrar, 169

7. Boone, 185

8. Carlisle, 197

RACCOON RIVER CONFERENCE WOMEN'S INDIVIDUAL TIMES

1 Annika Larson, 19:33.50

8 Brynn Wilson, 20:20.83

22 Raya Miller, 21:39.86

24 Kya Hermann, 21:47.48

33 Grace Grundmeyer, 22:41.96

41 Ava Richardson, 23:11.05

42 Nora Showman, 23:15.88