Messenger photo by Britt Kudla: Manson Northwest Webster senior Alyssa Richman competes in the Class 2A state race on Saturday in Class 1A at Lakeside Golf Course. For more photos, please visit CU.messengernews.net

The two-day Iowa state cross country championships were filled with record-breaking performances at Lakeside Golf Course in Kennedy Park.

It also marked the end of a memorable career for Manson Northwest Webster senior Alyssa Richman.

Richman, a four-time individual qualifier for the Cougars, earned her third Top-10 finish, placing seventh in the Class 2A race on Saturday. She was third last fall after also placing seventh as a sophomore.

“The years I’ve spent in an MNW cross country jersey have been nothing short of amazing,” Richman said. “I’ve been so thankful for the support this program shows one other.

“This wasn’t what I wanted out of my final cross country race as a Cougar.”

Coming in, Richman was less than 100 percent health-wise, but her plan was to “be proud” of her race.

“And I am,” she said. “Credit to all of the other girls in the race too; they all ran incredibly. Start to finish, (Saturday) was tough but I know I left it all out on the course. It stings a little now, but I know sooner than later, I’ll forget about the times and the hardware.

“The things I’ll never forget are the lessons and memories made, and for that, I couldn’t be more grateful.”

The 2A race saw Noelle Steines make history, as the Tipton senior won her fourth state title. Steines won the last three 1A races for Calamus-Wheatland before transferring to Tipton after state cross country last year.

She is just the second Iowa girl to ever win four golds, joining former Griswold standout Rebekah Topham. Steines had a time of 18:12, winning by nearly 20 seconds.

Lili Denton of Council Bluff St. Albert, a junior, broke the 1A meet record to claim gold, clocking a time of 17:59. Alta-Aurelia senior Nora Peterson, a long-time running rival for Richman, was second overall.

The 2A boys race saw Emerson Vokes of Grundy Center, the 1A runner-up last year, capture first in 15:37 over Alex Torres from Vinton-Shellsburg. Both are juniors and will be primed for another showdown next year.

Mid-Prairie (2A) and Earlham (1A) won girls team gold while Oelwein (2A) and Lake Mills (1A) were the boys champions.

West Bend-Mallard’s Tyra Schupbach ran 19:26 to finish 11th in 1A, while Bishop Garrigan’s Julia Swift completed her freshman campaign in 16th (19:40). Iris Melody of South Central Calhoun was 29th overall in a time of 20:09.

Newell-Fonda’s Danika Meyer and Mareni Brabec — the first state cross ountry qualifiers in school history — finished 38th and 56th. Meyer went 20:21; Brabec went 20:46.

Schupbach, a three-time qualifier, has now finished in the Top-20 all three times. She was 15th last year and 18th as a freshman.

South Central Calhoun’s Redge Potts put a cap on his career, placing 31st overall in 2A in 17:06. Thatcher Oswald, a junior from Manson Northwest Webster, was 43rd in 17:18 in his first state appearance. Noah Hinote of Greene County finished 54th in 17:28.

East Sac County’s Landon Sporrer placed 62nd and Riley Aragon was 71st. Sporrer, a junior, went 17:34; Aragon, also a junior, crossed in in 17:46.