Messenger photo by Britt Kudla: Hannah Landwehr of St. Edmond competes during the Humboldt Invitational on Monday at Joe Sheldon Park

HUMBOLDT — The St. Edmond girls cross country team competed with a little added incentive — and perspective — on their minds here Monday evening.

The second-ranked (Class 1A) Gaels won for the third time in as many meets by placing four runners in the Top-11 at the Humboldt Invitational. Manson Northwest Webster junior Alyssa Richman, meanwile, captured another title in the individual race.

Head coach Mike Szalat’s squad showed off their depth and balance again, using the added motivation of contributing to the memorial fund of slain Algona police officer Kevin Cram. Szalat decided last week that the school would donate based on improved times and performances from a year ago at Joe Sheldon Park.

“The kids showed a lot of excitement in being able to help out in their own way,” Szalat said. “The girls told me that, in their (pre-race huddle), it was a point of emphasis. They really wanted to do what they could for Officer Cram’s family.

“As a coach, that’s touching. I work with these kids every day after school, and I’m thankful for that. They’re amazing young leaders…I’m always impressed by how much they grasp the importance of being active and aware of things going on in and around our communities. So I’m more proud of that (Monday) than anything else.”

Richman, rated fourth in 1A, crossed in 20:35.27. St. Edmond senior Hannah Landwehr was second (21:51.51), followed by Gael teammates Michaela Leiting (fourth, 22:03.10); Anna Lursen (10th, 22:45.45); and Ellie Knox (11th, 22:53.85).

North Union’s Jacey Welbig grabbed bronze in 22:02.28. Brynn Malo of Humboldt, a sophomore, was fifth (22:08.67). Freshman Mara Davis of Algona took sixth (22:13.56).

Senior Reese Lemberg (19th, 24:15.08) had the fifth counting score for St. Edmond.

“I think improving the spread from one to five was the main takeaway (from the Gaels’ performance),” Szalat said. “We’re closing that gap. To have all five in the Top-20 is pretty solid; you don’t win a meet like this by 27 points very often.”

Szalat added that some confusion in the layout of the track — some of the competitors took the wrong route, while others reportedly went a longer distance than required — led to a few times being off.

“It was unfortunate,” Szalat said. “Two girls got disqualified, and I wanted to see how we stacked up against them. It was just an honest mistake across the board.

“I’ve always said that because of the unique design of the course, you can’t get caught up in your time and need to focus more on your place here. So overall, we’re very pleased with what our girls did and where we’re at right now (in mid-September).”

Fort Dodge was led by freshman Liv Klepsteen, who was 29th in 25:10.98.

Host Humboldt was third in the final team standings, behind the Gaels (32 points) and Iowa Falls-Alden (59). The Wildcats had 80 points. Algona (108) and MNW (139) followed.

Pocahontas Area’s Kristin Axman, a sophomore, took 15th in 23:37.09.

Humboldt senior Sarah Numedahl was the junior varsity runner-up in 26:58.65. The Gaels’ top JV performer was freshman Alex Leiting (fifth, 28:16.17).

St. Edmond and Fort Dodge are back in action on Monday in Algona.