Last Tuesday, the Iowa boys cross country rankings came out with Pleasant Valley ranked at 17. This was a huge loss for the team, as they were formerly ranked at number four in Iowa.
While these new rankings seem devastating, they aren’t exactly what they seem. Due to sickness and injury, PV had to run without two of their top runners during their most recent meet in Iowa City on Sept. 28.
Without varsity runners Cam Gatto and Carl Rekow, PV placed fourth in the meet behind Iowa City High, Dubuque Senior and Ankeny Centennial.
Although this was just one meet out of many others this season, the team rankings changed drastically. For cross country rankings, the Iowa Association of Track Coaches states that teams must be ranked behind any team that beat them in the most recent race, meaning PV had to be placed behind all three of these teams.
These ranking rules have been frustrating for the team, including cross country coach Nick Sacco. “I understand why the rankings committee did what they did, but I definitely think we are a lot better than 17th,” expressed Sacco.
With state qualifying meets approaching, team rankings are more important than ever. Iowa has five district meets, each with three top 15 teams. With Pleasant Valley ranked 17th, this could mean they have to face much harder competition in their district meet on Oct. 18.
Only 15 teams make it to the state competition, which makes it more difficult for PV to continue their 20 year streak of participating at state.
Even with these unfortunate rankings, the team has stayed positive. “We really want to show people that we are better than we’re ranked, because we know we are and I think we can prove it to everybody else too. We’ve only had one bad meet so I don’t think it’s necessarily fair, but that’s what the rules are,” stated Gatto.
Luckily for the team, they still have more opportunities to prove themselves before the district meet. Last Saturday, the team competed at Sterling and finished in first place. They also have the MAC conference meet on Oct. 12, which they expect to win as well.
Even after struggling through a rough meet and a huge drop in rankings, the PV cross country team is confident that they are one of the best teams in the state. “We are way more talented than we’ve been in years past. I definitely think we are a contender for top five, and possibly a trophy,” explained Sacco.
