By: Matt Scher, matts@977thebolt.com
Humboldt, IA – Three Humboldt cross country runners will compete at the 2026 Iowa High School Cross Country Championships after earning individual qualifying spots at Wednesday’s Class 3A state qualifying meet in Clear Lake.
Junior twins Aubry and Avery Fisher qualified for state for the second consecutive season, while freshman Jade Malo secured her first state meet appearance. The trio finished fourth, fifth and seventh, respectively, at Veterans Memorial Golf Club.
Aubry Fisher led the Wildcats with a time of 19:25.5. Malo followed in 19:25.7, just two-tenths of a second behind, while Avery Fisher crossed the finish line in 19:33.8.
The top 15 individual finishers advanced to state, along with the top three teams. Humboldt’s girls finished fourth in the team standings with 112 points, narrowly missing a team berth.
For Aubry Fisher, returning to state was a goal she and her teammates had worked toward throughout the season.
“It’s exciting. I kind of set the goal to, like, be able to make it again because it would kind of, I don’t know, feel different if I didn’t,” Fisher said. “And we’ve been working really hard, so it was, like, on our minds.”
Fisher said she began the race conservatively before working her way back into a pack of runners. She focused on building confidence and trusting herself to finish strong.
Having her sister and Malo qualify alongside her also makes the upcoming state meet more meaningful.
“It’s exciting, and I’m definitely proud of all of us,” Fisher said. “It’s definitely more fun to go with more people than just, like, I don’t know, one of us qualifying.”
For Malo, the state qualifying performance caps a strong freshman season. Although qualifying for state was not necessarily an expectation when the season began, she said the possibility became more realistic as the year progressed.
“I’m really excited,” Malo said. “I feel like we all put in the work, and I’m excited that we got there.”
Malo also credited the Fisher twins with helping her develop as a runner during her first season at the high school level.
“I think they definitely pushed me a lot to become the runner that I am, and I’m very thankful to have them on my team,” Malo said.
Humboldt head coach Joel Hoogland said the three qualifiers ran aggressively and established themselves near the front of the field early in the race.
He expected Malo to contend for a state berth after the season she put together, while the Fisher twins brought valuable experience from qualifying a year ago.
“They really ran in a great, aggressive race, got out fast, and really just pushed the pace from the beginning,” Hoogland said.
Des Moines Christian won the girls’ team competition with 50 points. Clear Lake finished second with 80, and Decorah took third with 92 to claim the remaining team qualifying spots.
Despite the disappointment of finishing one place outside the top three, Hoogland said he was pleased with the girls’ performance.
“I thought the girls really ran really well,” Hoogland said. “It stinks to come out fourth in that district meet, but knowing how well we ran, we really can’t be disappointed with how we finished.”
The Humboldt boys finished 12th among 13 teams with 346 points. Junior Henry Kramer led the Wildcats, placing 36th in 18:10.6.
Kramer entered the meet hoping to earn an individual state berth after running near and below the 18-minute mark during the season. Hoogland said Kramer attacked the race early, but did not finish among the individual qualifiers.
“I thought he ran a great race,” Hoogland said, adding that the team also recorded several personal records and strong individual performances.
Also competing for Humboldt’s boys were Callen Mathis, who placed 73rd in 20:11.6; Bentley Rodgers, 77th in 20:51.2; Ike Fowler, 79th in 20:54.9; Ayden Russell, 81st in 21:17.1; Brooks Hinners, 83rd in 21:45.4; and Miles Zeman, 86th in 22:00.7.
Although the team season has concluded, Hoogland said there is reason for optimism heading into 2027. The girls expect to return six of their top seven runners, while the boys’ top three runners will be back next season.
On the girls’ side, senior Macey Rodgers will be the only departure from the top seven.
The focus shifts to Fort Dodge, where the Fisher twins will seek another strong state performance and Malo will make her debut on Iowa’s biggest high school cross country stage.
Avery Fisher said she plans to emphasize recovery during the final week of preparation, with limited speed work to stay fresh for race day.
“I’m just going to definitely take a lot of rest and recover a lot, and only do a little bit of speed just so I can be prepared and not too, like, burnt out or wore out,” Fisher said.
All three runners said they hope to run personal records if conditions allow, while enjoying the opportunity to compete against the state’s top runners.
The 2026 Iowa High School Cross Country Championships are scheduled for Friday Oct. 30 and Saturday, Oct. 31 at Lakeside Municipal Golf Course in Fort Dodge. The Class 3A girls’ race is set for 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, October 31.