Matt Levins - The Hawk Eye
The 2025 high school boys cross country season will go down as one of the most competitive ever.
The area was loaded with solid teams from WACO to Columbus to Louisa-Muscatine to Mediapolis to Van Buren County to Fort Madison.
The daily competition among the top area runners and teams pushed them to get better.
When all was said and done, Columbus, Louisa-Muscatine, Mediapolis and Van Buren County all advanced to state as teams.
Southeast Iowa brought home a carload of hardware and medals from the state meet and set the standard for all individuals and teams to follow.
That abundance of talent is reflected in the 2025 All-Hawk Eye boys cross country team.
Lincoln Bainbridge, sr., Van Buren County
Bainbridge turned into not only one of the best runners in southeast Iowa over the last three years, but one of the state’s best. Spurred on by stiff competition at every meet, Bainbridge was at his best when it counted most. After finishing third at the conference meet, he took second at a state qualifying meet, helping the Warriors qualify for state as a team for the second straight year. He finished seventh at state, helping his team finish 12th in Class 1A.
Cavin Denney, fr., Notre Dame-West Burlington
Denney, who finished eighth in Class 3A at the middle school state meet last year, showed he can compete with the best varsity runners in the state as a freshman. He was a major part in the Nikes’ sudden rise to power in the SEI Super Conference this season and is a major reason they will be a force for years to come. Denney finished eighth at the conference meet, finished 15th at a Class 2A state qualifying meet to earn a trip to state, where he finished 66th.
Jude Dykstra, sr., WACO
Dykstra had a fabulous senior season until a late-season injury ended it prematurely. Dykstra led the way in what was perhaps the toughest conference season in history. He helped the Warriors get ranked as high as fourth in Class 1A. He won the conference championship, as did his team, but unfortunately sustained a leg injury in training for the state qualifying meet. Dykstra had his leg worked on by a trainer prior to the race, but was unable to compete.
Sam Higbie, fr., Keokuk
Higbie is set to be the next great boys cross country runner for the Chiefs. He burst onto the scene in a big way. He was in the top 10 at most area races and led the Chiefs’ finishers at nearly every meet. He finished seventh at the Southeast Conference meet, then placed 35th at a loaded Class 3A state qualifying meet to end his season.
Silas Hulett, jr., Mount Pleasant
Hulett was perhaps the most improved runner on the boys’ side of the ledger, becoming an elite runner in southeast Iowa. Hulett showed his grit and determination when it counted most. After struggling to a ninth-place finish at the conference meet on his home course, Hulett came back with his best race of the season. He set a new personal best, finishing ninth at the state qualifying meet to punch his ticket to state. He finished 53rd in Class 3A.
Aaron Morehead, sr., Burlington
Morehead is the latest standout runner for the Grayhounds and nearly ended their drought of getting a runner to the state meet. Morehead led the way for the Grayhounds all season, finishing eighth at the conference meet before taking 29th at a difficult Class 3A state qualifying meet to end the season and his high school career.
Hayden Riggan, sr., Louisa-Muscatine
Riggan polished off his career by helping the Falcons into the Class 1A state rankings and a trip to state as a team. The Falcons finished seventh in Class 1A. Riggan, along with Oscar Cline, paced the Falcons all season. Riggan finished sixth at the conference meet, then placed seventh at s state qualifying meet, helping the Falcons qualify for state as a team. He finished 31st at the state meet.
Will Schmidgall, jr., Mediapolis
Schmidgall, after a slow start to the season, turned it up several notches when it mattered most. Schmidgall was the Bulldogs’ No. 2 runner all season behind Simon Wendel. Schmidgall finished fourth at the conference meet, was eighth at the state qualifying meet and finished 17th at the state meet, helping the Bulldogs finish 13th as a team.
Riley Tripp, sr., Fort Madison
Tripp led a talented and determined group of Bloodhounds to another successful season. He helped them win the conference championship as a team by placing second as an individual. He had a stellar run at the state qualifying meet, finishing 12th, but the Bloodhounds fell just short in their quest to qualify as a team. He finished 68th at the state meet.
Ryan Villa, jr., Columbus
Villa was at his best down the stretch for a very balanced team which really had no No. 1 runner all season. The Wildcats finished third at the conference meet as Villa was 14th as an individual. He placed ninth at a state qualifying meet, helping the Wildcats once again qualify as a team. At state, Villa finished 50th, helping the Wildcats finish sixth in Class 1A.
Simon Wendel, sr., Mediapolis
Wendel is the latest in what has become a long line of outstanding boys cross country runners for the Bulldogs under the guidance of coach Mitch Timmerman. Wendel was at or near the top in every race this season in a very challenging conference. He finished second behind Dykstra at the conference meet, then took third at a state qualifying meet which included the eventual individual and team state champions. He placed seventh in Class 2A at the state meet.
Hunter Wiegand, jr., Fort Madison
Wiegand rose to prominence in southeast Iowa and beyond this year, pushing Tripp at every practice and meet. He finished third at the conference meet behind Washington standout Andrew Rees and Tripp.He came up big at the state qualifying meet, finishing 14th to earn his first trip to state. There, Wiegand ended the season by finishing 97th in Class 3A.
COACH OF THE YEAR
Steve Riley, Columbus
Riley did one of the best coaching jobs of his career. He pieced together a perfect blend of talent on a team which was balanced from top to bottom. The Wildcats were undefeated for a good portion of the season before finishing third at the conference meet. They qualified for state as a team, finishing sixth in Class 1A, the top finish of any area team.