Strong competition prepares Le Mars' Theisen for 3A regional
By Jerry Giesejgiese@siouxcityjournal.com | Posted: Thursday, October 23, 2008
Maddie Theisen isn't bothered by two recent losses.
The Le Mars junior opened her third cross country season with five consecutive victories. And, earlier this month, Theisen ended a streak of 19 consecutive wins for defending Class 2A state champion Steph Wibben of George-Little Rock/Central Lyon, topping Wibben by 18 seconds with a personal best of 14:57.9 at the Western Christian Invitational.
Last Friday at the Unity Christian Invitational, Wibben avenged that loss. And, a week earlier, Theisen's first non-winning effort of the fall was a runner-up finish behind East's Shelby Houlihan in the Class A division of the West Sioux Invitational.
Houlihan, a sensational sophomore, is ranked third in Class 4A by the Iowa Association of Track Coaches and placed third at last year's large-school state meet.
"Shelby beat me by 30 seconds, but it was fun racing with her," said Theisen, who enters today's Class 3A regional meet at Algona ranked fourth in 3A by the IATC.
"You don't know how good you are until you run against the best. I needed that. I'm ready for the regional. I've worked hard up to now and I feel ready."
A year ago, Theisen didn't win a meet, but she placed fourth at the regional and then placed 12th in the state meet, just 13 seconds from a top-10 finish.
From there, she gained confidence.
"Last year, from district to state, Maddie established who she is as a runner," said Le Mars Coach Amy Kelly. "In the summer, she combined weight training and swimming with her running and it has helped. She has more strength. Last year her kick wasn't as strong, but now she has more endurance and more power at the end."
The 16-year old daughter of Brian and Lorie Theisen of Le Mars looked her best in the win over Wibben, who's ranked first in 2A. Wibben, who placed fourth at the 2A state meet as a freshman and second as a soph two years ago, set the pace, but Theisen suddenly found herself within range halfway through the race.
Theisen beat the G-LR/CL standout in the final 800 meters.
"I love running with Steph," said Theisen. "It was a great experience. People watching the race said all of a sudden, I took off. You get in a mode and you go for it. I knew I could do it."
Theisen also won meets at Le Mars, Storm Lake, Sheldon and Cherokee. Four days after falling to Houlihan, she won the Lakes Conference meet at Hull, then concluded the regular season at Unity.
"Last Friday, Maddie wasn't feeling well," said Kelly. "I think one of her strengths, she has more mental toughness, more determination, more belief in herself. She's also a very humble runner and she doesn't take anything for granted."
Theisen is the highest-ranked runner in today's field at Algona, but she's not declaring herself the winner. Spencer's Ashley Loerts is ranked 11th while Garner-Hayfield's Lauren Opp and Bishop Heelan's Kaylene Leiting are ranked 20th and 22nd, respectively.
"I don't have any high expectations," said Theisen. "My goal is to get in the top 10 so I can go to state."
The Le Mars junior opened her third cross country season with five consecutive victories. And, earlier this month, Theisen ended a streak of 19 consecutive wins for defending Class 2A state champion Steph Wibben of George-Little Rock/Central Lyon, topping Wibben by 18 seconds with a personal best of 14:57.9 at the Western Christian Invitational.
Last Friday at the Unity Christian Invitational, Wibben avenged that loss. And, a week earlier, Theisen's first non-winning effort of the fall was a runner-up finish behind East's Shelby Houlihan in the Class A division of the West Sioux Invitational.
Houlihan, a sensational sophomore, is ranked third in Class 4A by the Iowa Association of Track Coaches and placed third at last year's large-school state meet.
"Shelby beat me by 30 seconds, but it was fun racing with her," said Theisen, who enters today's Class 3A regional meet at Algona ranked fourth in 3A by the IATC.
"You don't know how good you are until you run against the best. I needed that. I'm ready for the regional. I've worked hard up to now and I feel ready."
A year ago, Theisen didn't win a meet, but she placed fourth at the regional and then placed 12th in the state meet, just 13 seconds from a top-10 finish.
From there, she gained confidence.
"Last year, from district to state, Maddie established who she is as a runner," said Le Mars Coach Amy Kelly. "In the summer, she combined weight training and swimming with her running and it has helped. She has more strength. Last year her kick wasn't as strong, but now she has more endurance and more power at the end."
The 16-year old daughter of Brian and Lorie Theisen of Le Mars looked her best in the win over Wibben, who's ranked first in 2A. Wibben, who placed fourth at the 2A state meet as a freshman and second as a soph two years ago, set the pace, but Theisen suddenly found herself within range halfway through the race.
Theisen beat the G-LR/CL standout in the final 800 meters.
"I love running with Steph," said Theisen. "It was a great experience. People watching the race said all of a sudden, I took off. You get in a mode and you go for it. I knew I could do it."
Theisen also won meets at Le Mars, Storm Lake, Sheldon and Cherokee. Four days after falling to Houlihan, she won the Lakes Conference meet at Hull, then concluded the regular season at Unity.
"Last Friday, Maddie wasn't feeling well," said Kelly. "I think one of her strengths, she has more mental toughness, more determination, more belief in herself. She's also a very humble runner and she doesn't take anything for granted."
Theisen is the highest-ranked runner in today's field at Algona, but she's not declaring herself the winner. Spencer's Ashley Loerts is ranked 11th while Garner-Hayfield's Lauren Opp and Bishop Heelan's Kaylene Leiting are ranked 20th and 22nd, respectively.
"I don't have any high expectations," said Theisen. "My goal is to get in the top 10 so I can go to state."
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