Mile posts: Items on Grace Steinmetz, Aaron Fynaardt, Kaitlyn Knoche, Bryant Keller, Addison Liston, Lance Sobaski

Grace Steinmetz rarely loses when she steps into Frontier Conference competition.

The Heartland Christian High School graduate from Council Bluffs captured her seventh league title in Billings, Montana, on Friday, Nov. 6. The Bellevue (NE) University sophomore steamed to victory in the conference's cross country championships at Amend Park. Steinmetz covered the 6K (3.7 miles) course in 21:12.6, a 5:42.1 pace per mile, to win by nearly 40 seconds.

"We expected Grace to repeat and thought (teammate) Maggie (Boley) had a very good chance of qualifying, too, and they both delivered. It's exciting to have both women at nationals, and both are in the All-American conversation."

Steinmetz leads off this edition of the WEEKEND UPDATE of the best performances by Iowa-based collegiate and post collegiate distance runners and triathletes.

Steinmetz helped drive the Bruins to an unexpected runner-up team finish with 109 points, 70 behind Carroll (MT).

Since arriving on the Bellevue, Nebraska, campus, Steinmetz has competed in eight Frontier Conference races and has won seven (2025 cross country; 2026 indoor mile, 3,000, 5,000; 2026 outdoor 5,000, 10,000). Her only loss was in the 1,500 final outdoors, when she was second.

Will return to the Frontier Conference men's race in a bit, but switching to the Gulf South Conference cross country meet in Hermitage, Tennessee, on Nov. 6. Union (TN) senior Aaron Fynaardt, who prepped at Des Moines Christian, picked up fifth overall in the 8K race in a new personal record of 23:59.4. Fynaardt moved up three spots from a year ago while pacing Union to fifth in the team race with 137 points. Lee (TN) won the team crown with 16 points and Lee freshman Kylian Boulanger as the champion in 23:30.2.

St. Ambrose senior Kaitlyn Knoche fared well in her first Heart of America Conference race. The North Scott product took second in the league meet at Baldwin City, Kansas, on Nov. 7 in a new PR of 22:00.2 for 6K. Knoche ended up just 4.9 seconds behind Central Methodist junior Sarah Kirby. The Bees, sixth in the team race, were competing in their first Heart of America league meet since leaving the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference in May. Knoche won four CCAC individual titles.

The Mount Mercy women finished second in the team race behind the strength of two Iowans. Senior Abby Knepper, a Beckman (Dyersville) grad, took fourth in 22:17.0. She was the reigning Heart of America champion. Fellow senior Kalin Rotzoll, who competed for Clear Creek-Amana, was sixth in 22:22.1.

The leader for 10th-place William Penn was sophomore and former Central Springs (Manly) athlete Claire Rye in 10th in 22:51.1. Like Knoche, Knepper and Rotzoll, Rye qualified for nationals with her finish. The No. 3 runner for Mount Mercy, which scored 77 points, was junior Lourdes Mason. The former Mount Vernon-Lisbon prep ran a new best of 23:00.7 for 12th at the Mike Spielman Cross Country Course.Benedictine (KS) took the team title with 49 points.

In the men's 8K competition, ex-Anamosa competitor Jack Stamp narrowly missed a PR after achieving first-team all-conference honors in ninth place. The Mount Mercy sophomore was timed in 25:27.3. Sophomore teammate Noah Gregoire, a Liberty High grad, ran 25:37.4 for 11th. Another Mustang, freshman Owen Miller, took 15th in 25:51.1 to help Mount Mercy place fourth in the team race with 98 points. Miller competed for Cedar Rapids Prairie.

William Penn was one spot back of Mount Mercy and pacing the Statemen was senior and former Dallas Center-Grimes athlete Carson Springer in 28th. Springer ran 26:55.2. The leader for sixth-place Grand View University was senior Matthew Bonner, who attended Des Moines Roosevelt. Bonner ran 26:58.7 for 29th. Sophomore teammate Damion Winkler, an Ames High product, ran 27:05.5 for 32nd. Seth Countryman, another Mount Mercy sophomore who ran for Anamosa, was 33rd in 27:05.7. One spot behind him was William Penn senior and ex-Pleasant Valley prep Andrew Miller in 27:06.6.

Park U. won the team title with 21 points and Park sophomore Isaac Rivera was the champion in 24:58.9.

Two Iowans led the Augustana University men to the team title at the NSIC championships in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on Nov. 7. Redshirt sophomore Bryant Keller, a four-time NSIC individual champion in indoor and outdoor track, covered the 8K course in 24:20.5 for third place and first-team all-league honors. Keller is a Glenwood grad. Freshman teammate Emerson Vokes, who attended Grundy Center, took 12th in 24:52.7 as the Vikings scored 25 points to top Minnesota State by 43 points. Mavericks sophomore Jonathan Owen ran 26:03.6 for 45th place for Minnesota State. Owen is a Valley High product. Wayne State (NE) sophomore Matt Richardson, a former Baxter competitor, ran 27:00.5 for 81st. Minnesota State sophomore Luis Pfister was the winner in 24:09.4.

In the women's 6K competition, Winona State sophomore Emily Meyer picked up 18th overall in a new PR of 21:44.1 as Winona won the team crown with 45 points. Meyer, the No. 4 runner, attended Cedar Falls. Her teammate, junior Stella Rusch, took the individual title in 19:51.6.

The top-ranked (by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association) Dordt University women steamrolled to their seventh consecutive team title at the Great Plains Athletic Conference meet on its home course Nov. 7. The Defenders scored a perfect 15 points to leave St. Mary (NE) far behind by 70 points.

Running second overall behind champion Joy Koole (21:11.2) for the 6K distance was sophomore Addison Liston. The Unity Christian (Orange City) product ran a new best of 21:18.5 to pick up first-team all-league honors in Sioux Center. She was third a year ago. Finishing in the top 15, but not scoring for Dordt was freshman Katie Young, another Unity grad, ran a new PR of 22:14.2 for ninth. Senior teammate Isabella Webb was 12th in 22:33.5. Webb picked up her fourth top-15 GPAC finish. She attended Waukee High.

Jumping in front of them and breaking up the Dordt juggernaut was Northwestern College senior Emily De Groot. The former MOC-FV (Orange City) runner was timed in 21:54.9 for sixth place. Fellow Red Raiders senior Kayden Spencer, who prepped at Ogden, was 13th in a new PR of 22:35.2 to help Northwestern secure fourth in the team race with 107 points.

Morningside University took fifth in the team race with 131 points and sophomore Estefana Beisswenger was the leader in 14th place. The Cherokee Washington product ran a new best of 22:35.5 for 14th. Junior teammate Gabby Ryan, who competed for Sergeant Bluff-Luton, was 18th in a new PR of 22:45.1. Dordt sophomore Elyse Zwart was 23rd in 22:54.1. Zwart attended Boyden-Hull. Morningside freshman Silvia Kampbell was the Mustangs' No. 3 runner in 24th place in 22:55.2. Northwestern freshman Teagan Tracy, a former MOC-FV runner, was 26th in 23:02.2. Concordia (NE) freshman Amanda Smith cracked the top 30 with a 29th-place effort in 23:10.4. Smith ran for Earlham.

The Dordt men won their competition, but by a far smaller margin than the Defender women, 45-62, over Doane. Running third for the Defenders and taking ninth overall was senior Caleb Van Beek in a new best of 25:13.3 for 8K. Van Beek is a Western Christian (Hull) grad. Concordia finished a solid third with 69 points and senior Aidan Limback crossed second for his team in a new best of 25:19.4. Limback graduated from Valley.

Dordt freshman Tyler Rozenboom cracked the top 15 in his first GPAC team by taking 15th in a new best of 25:30.3. Rozeboom competed for Unity Christian. The next finisher was Dordt junior and ex-Le Mars Community prep Trace Obbink in 25:30.7. He was followed by former Dowling Catholic athlete Brett Gifford, now a junior at Dordt. Gifford ran a new best of 25:36.4.

Northwestern College secured fourth place with 92 points and junior Alik McIlravy picked up 20th place. The North Polk product ran a new best of 25:53.7 as the Red Raiders' No. 3 runner. Freshman teammate Davis Johnson, the No. 4 finisher for Northwestern, took 24th in 26:00.6. Mount Marty junior Joseph Cross was the champion in 24:29.0.

Switching to the roads and the Boston Half Marathon in Massachusetts on Nov. 8. Placing eighth overall in the men's professional competition was 2021 Iowa State NCAA indoor 5,000 champion Wesley Kiptoo in 1:03:03. He is a HOKA Naz Elite athlete based in Bellemont, Arizona. The winner was Habtom Samuel of Eritrea in 59:49.

Seven-time Loras College NCAA champion Kassie Parker, aiming to win the USATF Running Circuit season-long title in the California International Marathon in Sacramento next month, jumped into the women's half marathon and finished ninth in 1:11:10. The Crown Running athlete who ran for Clayton Ridge (Guttenberg) was 1:56 behind winner Fentaye Belayneh of Ethiopia. Parker was the third-best American.

"I knew what time I wanted to run and went for it," Parker wrote on Instagram. "Felt strong until my legs couldn't push up the lengthy hills. Marathon training is rough and I didn't exactly taper for this race as it's my main goal."

Moving to the CNO Financial Indianapolis Monumental Marathon on Nov. 7, where recent Wartburg College 3,000 steeplechase national runner-up Lance Sobaski, 22, picked up the victory in the 5K. The Washington High grad who is now with the Driftless Distance Project squad ran 14:29, a 4:39 average, to win by six seconds.

Finishing third in the women's competition was new Driftless teammate Peyton Steffen, who also took runner-up nationally in the 3,000 steeplechase in May. The ex-Marion and Central College competitor, 23, ran 16:57. The winner was Rebecca Schmitt, 34, in 15:57.

In the women's half marathon, former Ballard (Huxley) prep Abby Kohut-Jackson finished 24th in that competition and 157th overall in 1:15:56, a 5:48 pace per mile. Kohut-Jackson, 28, now resides in St. Louis. The winner was Mikayla Reed, 26, in 1:08:49.

In the men's half marathon, Running Wild Elite's Max Murphy, 24, of Bettendorf placed 20th overall in 1:04:58. Murphy is a Pleasant Valley grad who competed for Iowa before finishing at North Carolina. RWE men's team coordinator Devin Allbaugh was 35th overall in 1:06:40. Allbaugh, 36, is also a Pleasant Valley product who lives in Bettendorf. Anthony Carney Jr., another Driftless squad member who ran for the University of Dubuque, secured 77th among the men in 1:10:39. Carney Jr., 22, lives in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Will Lusty, a former Runablaze athlete now living in Chicago, was 82nd in 1:11:19. Lusty is 26. RWE's Aidan Armstrong, who competed for Muscatine and North Central (IL), ran 1:12:37 for 89th. Armstrong, 23, lives in Muscatine. The winner was Owen Smith, 23, in 1:01:39.

In the featured marathon, former Unity Christian and Dordt standout Jacob Vander Plaatts easily set a new best of 2:18:45, a 5:18 pace per mile, while taking 26th overall. Vander Platts, 27, resides in Sioux Center. RWE's Steve Froeschle, 32, of Davenport grabbed 44th overall in 2:23:28. He competed for Davenport Assumption and St. Ambrose. His brother, Dan, was 49th in 2:24:06. Dan, 36, also attended Assumption and resides in Davenport. Fitness Sports Distance Project runner Ethan Mesenbrink, an ex-Gilbert prep, ran 2:26:31 for 74th. Mesenbrink, 25, lives in Ames. The winner was Johnnie Guy, 32, in 2:11:45.

In the women's competition, Runablaze Iowa's Melanie Hamilt crushed her previous best by about five minutes while claiming 30th in 2:42:19, a 6:12 pace per mile. Hamilt, 31, lives in Iowa City. FSDP's Gabby Skopec, 27, of Coralville was 53rd in that competition in 2:48:28. Skopec ran for Iowa City West and Iowa.

A strong field also assembled for the Good Life Halfsy Half Marathon in Lincoln, Nebraska, on Nov. 8. Placing fourth overall was former Morningside standout Garret Ehlers, 35, of Sioux City in 1:06:19. Placing sixth was Runablaze's Tyler Lance, 31, of Algona in 1:07:41. Former Runablaze athlete Jay Welp, a 34-year-old now based in Cedar Falls, was next to finish in 1:07:28. Eein McKinley, who competed at West Monona and Morningside, came in 14th in 1:11:56. McKinley, 21, lives in Sioux City. The winner was Ryder Searle, 30, of Denver in 1:05:16.

Placing third overall among the women and the top female 40 and over was Runablaze's Pasca Cheruiyot. The Ankeny woman, 40, ran 1:17:56.

At the 13th annual Hillbilly Hike races from Indianola to Carlisle on Nov. 7, Runablaze's Tyson Wieland took the half marathon victory in 1:09:05. Wieland, 32, of Des Moines ran for Johnston in high school. He held off former Simpson College and Urbandale competitor Cole Leggett, 23, by 42 seconds.

The women's half marathon champion was ex-Valley High product Lauren (Schulze) Wood, 24, of the Runablaze squad. Wood ran 1:22:23. Emily Wood, 31, of Saint Charles was runner-up in 1:24:27. Wieland's wife, Elise, was third in 1:24:39. Elise Wieland, 27, competed for Southeast Warren and Simpson College.

The women's 5K champion was Runablaze's Susie Duke of rural Searsboro. Duke, 46, was timed in 17:58.

Shifting back to college conference meets and the GLVC Championships in Springfield, Missouri on Nov. 7, where Truman State junior Clare Stahr picked up 14th overall in the women's 6K race in 21:33.5. The ex-Gilbert athlete ran a new best while finishing as the No. 1 runner for the third-place Bulldogs (106 points) at the Allison Sport Complex. Lewis took the team title with 53 points and Rockhurst sophomore Carrington Hessen was the winner in 20:01.9.

Moving back to the Frontier Conference, where Bellevue senior Robert Siford was the No. 7 finisher for the Bruins in 36th place. The Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln grad covered the 8K course in 27:27.0. Bellevue was second in the team race with 65 points, 26 behind Rocky Mountain.

MISSING A TOP DISTANCE RUNNER OR TRIATHLETE?: Let me know at bergeson@registermedia.com.

Want to hear more about distance running in Iowa. Listen to my podcast here: