Johnston girls cross country makes history competing at nationals this weekend

By Clara Toot, JCSD Communications Specialist

PORTLAND, Ore. (Dec. 4, 2024) — The Johnston High School varsity girls cross country team will compete this Saturday at Nike Cross Nationals (NXN) in Portland, Oregon for the first time ever. 

The chance to compete at nationals is a goal that’s been more than two decades in the making.

Johnston’s NXN team From L to R: Jayna Lamping, Lexie Wisham, Alyx Woodley, Aubrielle Tousey, Payton Crabb, Ele Wharton, and Audrey Dummermuth

Patrick Hennes started coaching the Johnston girls cross country team in 2002 and took over as head coach in the fall of 2003. Chris Siewert began coaching in 2003. In the more than two decades since then, Hennes and Siewert have coached the Dragons to six state championships and 10 total podium finishes at the state meet. 

Johnston has also been participating at the Nike Cross Regional (NXR) meet in Sioux Falls, South Dakota since 2007. Their highest finish was 3rd in 2023. Until this year. 

“I think that each generation of athletes has built on the success and the culture that was gifted to them by the athletes who came before them,” Hennes said. “You have to have a group of athletes who are willing to challenge themselves and to come together as a team to raise the bar that they have set for themselves.”

Athletes running at nationals are Payton Crabb, Audrey Dummermuth, Jayna Lamping, Aubrielle Tousey, Ele Wharton, Lexie Wisham, and Alyx Woodley.

Achieving personal bests at regionals

JHS juniors Audrey Dummermuth and Alyx Woodley are members of the varsity girls cross country team that qualified for Nike Cross Nationals in November and have run on the team’s varsity squad since 2022. 

Dummermuth said a key difference with this year’s Nike regional race was the team’s lack of expectation. They ran freely and let the running do the talking, not worrying about what might happen afterwards. The strategy worked. 

Audrey Dummermuth and Grace Beasley race at Southeast Polk

Crossing the line at the regional meet, Dummermuth realized she had set a personal best by over 30 seconds and quickly realized the team had a chance at qualifying for nationals.

Alyx Woodley at regionals

“When I was on the line this had not crossed my mind at all. We had no clue that we even had a chance of going,” Dummermuth said. “We all started crying in disbelief and hugging each other. We just kept repeating to each other: ‘We made nationals!’ Every single time we said it,  it was just so exciting.”

Woodley also saw success at regionals, setting a new personal best of 17:35 and breaking the school record previously set in 2014. She finished 13th in the championship race, earning a spot on the NXR Second Team All Region.

“I was so shocked — my first reaction was tears of happiness,” Woodley said. “Seeing my time and running to hug my teammates, knowing what we had accomplished was the best feeling in the world.”

Alumnae make an impact 

Alumnae of the award-winning Johnston girls cross country program are still reaping the benefits from participating during their high school years.

Jordyn Kleve graduated from JHS in 2015 and was a member of the cross country team from 2011 to 2014. She went on to the University of Missouri, where she also competed on the cross country and track team. She now works as the Director of Olympic Sports Nutrition at the University of Mississippi, where she supports and educates collegiate athletes on their nutrition and hydration so they may elevate their health and performance.

Hennes and Kleve embrace after the 2014 state 4A race

Until this year, Kleve was the only member of the Johnston cross country team to ever qualify for Nike Cross Nationals, which she individually qualified for in November 2014. 

“The team culture the coaches have created to empower and develop young women throughout their time as a high school athlete, while also making the team something FUN to be a part of is just a small piece of what makes his program a success,” Kleve said. “Hennes has always been one of the best coaches in the state —- even before championship titles.” 

Kleve and her team won the state championship in 2014, marking the Dragon’s first time ever winning and the beginning of what many refer to as a dynasty. Ten years later, the girls cross country program has won six state titles, with multiple podium appearances. 

Johnston team celebrates after winning their first state championship title in 2014

“The coaches’ training plans and mileage tracking did a phenomenal job building us up to be elite and well-prepared for the commitment and investment that cross country/track requires at the collegiate level,” Kleve said. “More importantly, the camaraderie and team environment that is a major part of his culture prepared us on how to be good teammates.”

Kleve went on to say how the team introduced her to some of her closest friends with memories that she will look back on for life. She’s not alone in that.

Bella Heikes graduated from Johnston in 2021, and is now a senior at Iowa State University, where she also runs on the cross country and track team. Heikes ran for the high school girls cross country team from 2017 to 2020 and was a leading member of three state championship teams. Heikes recently competed at the NCAA midwest regional in Peoria, Illinois. She will begin her indoor track season in December, where she specializes in the indoor track mile and outdoor track 1500 meter run.

Johnston girls team after winning the 2019 state championship title

“When I got to college, I quickly realized how rare the Johnston cross country team is and I felt so grateful to have been a part of the program,” Heikes said. “The healthy perspective that I learned in high school, that the team comes first, that this sport is meant to be fun, and that one race doesn’t define you, eased my transition to college running.”

Heikes runs in 2020 state cross country meet (Photo by Joel Kellar)

Heikes’ favorite memory on the cross country team was Saturday long runs at Sycamore, a trail near Saylorville Lake.

“The great conversations and laughs I had with my teammates made the miles pass by so fast,” Heikes said. “It was so special to have such a supportive and fun group of girls to train with. The team goals were always understood and respected. We knew the most important goal was supporting each other so we could be great together. We recognized that winning a state championship was just the cherry on top of a season full of amazing memories with lifelong friends.”

Heikes cherishes the sisterhood and bonds she formed during her high school years to this day.

A special connection 

For past and present members of the team, it’s more than just titles that make being a part of this team something special.

“One word I would use to describe the team is fun,” Dummermuth said. “The team, the environment and the running–all those things won me over.”

The word that Woodley described the team was: “Best friends! I know that isn’t one word but it truly does describe us.”

Woodley said she will cherish the memory of qualifying for nationals with her team by her side.

Runners at the 2024 Roy Griak Invitational pose for a selfie

“We are all super close and are always smiling when we are together,” Woodley said. “We make hard workouts and practices fun!”

These athletes wouldn’t be as successful without the help of their supportive coaches. Hennes and Siewert are joined by Madison Buckley, Morgan Casey and Tori Starevich on the girls cross country team’s current coaching staff. 

“The coaches are super understanding and will always see us more as people than as athletes,” Woodley said.

Coaches and athletes at state meet 2024

Dummermuth added: “They really do care for each person and want to develop genuine relationships with everyone. They see you as a person, not just as an athlete, and I really appreciate that.”

What makes this year’s team unique is the love and support they have for each other, Hennes said. They have a lot of fun together but when it’s time to get to work, they get the job done. 

“Our goal is to provide our athletes with a team culture that is welcoming to everyone who wants to become the best possible version of themselves and is willing to contribute to an environment where everyone can experience success,” Hennes said. 

Notable Results at State Championships

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