The Class 1A boys race at the state cross country meet in Fort Dodge Friday morning resulted in hardware for the Lake Mills Bulldogs and junior Justin Rygh. While fellow Top of Iowa runners Gavin Grunhovd and Isaac Swenson finish in the top 40
Rygh fell behind early in the race, at the first mile, he was scored in 12th place. But as the race continued, Rygh slowly got closer to the front of the field, he was in 9th place at the second-mile marker and a short time later finished in 7th place.
JUSTIN RYGH:
Reflecting on his 7th place finish, Rygh was short and to the point, “I’m thankful…. GOD has blessed me”.
It’s been an incredible year for the junior; he won the conference championship, ran his best time ever, helped his team to the state meet for the first time in school history, and now, of course, placed at state.
Though his accolades are impressive, what was Rygh most excited about this season? You’re correct if you guessed helping his team to the state meet for the first time in school history.
Rygh will be one of the favorites to win the title next year as a senior. Next will be the wrestling season before he gets ready to carry the fall success into the spring track season. He says he has a goal and will be working towards that – winning a state title.
As a team Lake Mills finished in 11th place:
