Hansen earns state spot
Fort Dodge senior is first CC qualifier since ‘16
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MARSHALLTOWN - Cael Hansen's lowest moments came a year ago, when the Fort Dodge cross country standout was forced into a bystander role for his own program.
On Wednesday, Hansen made up for all the ground he lost and then some in a Class 4A qualifying meet at Marshalltown Community College.
Hansen became the first Dodger in 10 years to reach the state field, placing 11th individually with a career-low time of 16:28.4. The Fort Dodge boys and girls competed in a field that included eight other 4A programs from across Iowa, as Iowa City Liberty, Norwalk and Waukee Northwest qualified on the boys' side. Northwest, Norwalk and Marion Linn-Mar were the automatic team qualifiers from the girls' competition.
Hansen spent his entire 2025 fall campaign on the sidelines with a lower leg injury. Not only did the situation set him back physically, but he struggled mentally to keep his head in the game and a bigger picture in mind.
"Sitting out last year was a pretty devastating experience," Hansen said. "It was as if I lost a part of myself, not being able to run. In the moment, I wanted to quit the sport entirely.
"Ultimately, I decided to try a new approach to strength training, which allowed me to heal properly. I learned that I am capable of doing hard things, and that there are people around me who can help me achieve my goals."
One of those people is Austin Read, Fort Dodge's first-year head coach. The long-time Dodger assistant helped Hansen build himself back up again in the offseason and methodically work toward peaking in this specific race.
"I think the big thing was just keeping Cael in the moment and not letting the circumstance seem bigger than it actually is," Read said. "I told not just Cael, but everyone that they didn't need an A-plus race. Stay calm and level-headed, and trust your training. Cael did that. He was ready, like he has been all season. He followed the gameplan of being fast but controlled in the first mile, hold pace in the second, and start your kick in the third mile with 800 meters left. Just keep beating the runners ahead of you.
"We're all really proud of him."
Hansen was "about 70 percent sure" he could punch his state ticket on Wednesday. Once he crossed the finish line and made it official, he called it "the most relieved feeling in the world."
"Hearing that I was in 11th (place) on the final turn settled my nerves completely," Hansen said. "In past races, I've gone out too fast. I knew I needed to tone down the first mile some before speeding up. At our home meet specifically (when Hansen established what was then a new career low time), many (competitors) started too quickly and then faded in that second mile. That's where I was able to make up ground."
Read noted that Hansen - especially given how far he had to come from the challenges of 2025 - is "just a special kid."
"It's a great accomplishment and we are all happy for him and to be a part of it all," Read said. "This is big for our program.
"Last year gave Cael perspective and a better understanding of both his training and his body. He was working hard before, but just had to figure out how to be smarter and more efficient about the time he was putting in and find the balance between what he could handle versus what he shouldn't."
Hansen was joined by classmate Jayce Point, who also had a personal-low time of 17:03.5 to place 27th. Sophomore Jones Hensley (54th, 18:34.9), junior Corban McHone (57th, 18:54.6), junior Grant Maxson (59th, 18:59.2), senior Greyson Chance (61st, 19:54.7) and junior Myles Summers (63rd, 20:17) rounded out the Dodger boys lineup.
"Again, we weren't really focused on specific times," Read said. "It was more about beating guys ahead of you. Jayce PRed and I know he really wanted to break 17, but he still did an outstanding job. He had a terrific senior season, dropping about 50 seconds from last year.
"Jones, Corban, Grant and Myles know now what they need to do in the offseason and we're excited to have them all back. Greyson kept getting faster and went sub-20, which was big for him."
In the girls race, FDSH junior Linnie Pratt placed 31st in 21:52.2 - about a minute away from the state cutoff time. Senior Madison Carmody (51st, 26:30.6), junior Laila Grantham (52nd, 26:30.9), senior Ella Johnson (53rd, 30:35.8) and freshman Jalynn Jackson-Foy (54th, 30:54.8) were next in line for the Dodgers.
"The girls did get faster throughout the season," Read said. "I'm sure a lot of them didn't finish where they wanted, but the work from now through summer (2027) is where the real progress is made. That's a big message to everyone coming back on both teams."
The winning individual time in the boys race was senior Preston Johnson of Marshalltown, who crossed in 15:02.9. The girls champion was sophomore Emmy Stubbendeck of Northwest at 17:58.3.
Wolves junior Quinn Jorgensen - the daughter of FDSH graduate Joe Jorgensen - took 12th at 19:30.1 for the team champs on Wednesday. Northwest secured the 1st, 5th, 6th, 8th, 10th, 11th and 12th places to easily qualify.
Conditions were on the warm side for late October, with runners competing as temperatures held steady in the mid-70s.
"The times weren't great across the board," Read pointed out. "That's one thing we remind our kids: improvement isn't always linear, because (weather) conditions and courses vary. You might run a really good race, but not necessarily have a better time than before.
"With that being said, if you look at where we're at compared to when we came here (for the Marshalltown Invitational last month), our teams have come a long way."
The Class 4A state meet is a week from Saturday at Lakeside Golf Course inside Kennedy Park. Fort Dodge is the host for the 34th consecutive year.
"State being at home is awesome in and of itself, but being Coach Read's first qualifier feels amazing," Hansen said. "I have a lot of respect for him and his approach. I can trust he will get us to be the best we possibly can.
"I'm confident that under Coach Read's guidance, making state will become a regular occurrence for the Dodgers."
The last Fort Dodge individual runner to reach the state field was Ryan Wagner in 2016. Read was on the Dodgers' qualifying team in 2014.