(Guthrie Center, IA) – The ACGC Chargers saw a multitude of success on Friday, not only with their football team but with their State runners in cross-country. The girl’s team was more than impressive over the weekend, finishing in fifth with 185 total points. Helping to achieve that feat for ACGC was 11th-place finisher Ava Campbell who ran a 19:33.8, improving from 12th-place last year. She not only ran her personal best time, but achieved a longtime goal of now being a two-time All-State runner in Iowa. Head coach Colin Shawgo said that achieving the goal is spectacular for Campbell.
With cold weather conditions on Friday, many would think that the times would not be as good overall, but six of the seven runners ran their personal best times. On the way to Fort Dodge, the girls were talking with one another as they were dialed in and ready for the meet to be successful. Coach Shawgo credits the weather for their mental focus and their finish overall.
Not only were the girls successful, but so were the boys. The Chargers finished in second overall behind Lake Mills as ACGC finished with 137 points. The Chargers not only were successful this season, but they have also been a top-five team in the past four seasons. Andrew Mahaffey earned the school record over the weekend finishing in fourth place at 16:10.1, which made for his best finish in the state meet. Mahaffey had been working all summer long to get himself to this point.
Looking ahead to next season, the Chargers are bringing back a lot of talent. This is a team that has seen success on both the boys’ and girls’ sides. Coach Shawgo knows that they are keeping some of their best runners while also bringing up some young talent who are ready to race.
Coach Shawgo was proud of his teams this season as they were a fun group of kids to coach and was happy to be a part of such a successful year. He credits the leadership and the willingness to get better from these athletes and is already looking forward to next year.
ACGC finishes the season with two very successful teams as the boys finish in second and the girls finish in fifth. These athletes are looking ahead to the winter sports seasons and supporting the Chargers football team in their quest to the UNI-Dome.
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