STATE XC: Topham wins third straight state crown

Griswold junior puts up fastest time of any class at 13:56 

By Drew Herron - NT Sports Editor / Nov. 2, 2013

FORT DODGE – Revenge…how sweet it can be.

Griswold junior Rebekah Topham finished first in the girls’ Class 1A race at the state cross-country meet Saturday in Fort Dodge for a third straight year, easing her way past her top rival in business-like fashion.

For the better part of the 4K race, Topham raced side-by-side with Leah Seivert of Sibley-Ocheyedan, the runner who defeated her in the 3000M last May at the state track meet in Des Moines.

This time around, Topham wouldn’t take a back seat, dashing past the senior from up north down the final stretch to secure her third straight individual state championship in the sport.

Topham’s time of 13:56.3 proved to be the fastest in any of the four classes, repeating a feat she accomplished two years ago as a freshman.

It’s the third time Topham savors the gold in Fort Dodge, though this one felt a little different.

“I had to work harder for this one, Leah really pushed me,” Topham says. “It was more of a race, rather than just me running all by myself. I was racing her the whole way.”

Topham has battled through a nagging foot injury for the past month or so, and sat out both the Western Iowa Conference Meet and an invitational at Woodbine the following Saturday leading up to the state qualifying meet last Thursday (Oct. 24) in Treynor.

Strictly a precautionary measure, Topham returned to the course and picked up where she left off, not just winning races, but dominating them.

On Saturday in Fort Dodge, Topham slipped into another gear down the home stretch to leave Seivert in the dust. Topham’s time was 14 seconds faster than second place.

“That was Rebekah executing the game plan 100 percent,” Griswold XC coach Jane Chaillie says. “Stay right with her, hang on, and then take off right at the end. She’s a three-time state champion…how cool is that?”

“Rebekah has an incredible sprint speed at the end. We knew if it came down to a foot race that she could get it done. We told her that all week…stay shoulder-to-shoulder and right on her hip, and then that last 400 meters, give it everything she has.”

From the onset, the two jumped to the front and led the pack the entire way. On the final turn, Topham got the separation she had been hoping for.

“I planned to follow her until the end, but with about 800 (meters) left, she let up a little, so I thought I may as well make my move now,” Topham says.

Topham will add this most recent medal to a decorated career. On top of the three championships she has won in cross-country, she also has a slew of medals during two trips to the state track meet that include five gold medals and second-place finishes.

Saturday provided another feather in the cap for one of Iowa’s top prep athletes.

“It was very rewarding to see all the hard work pay off,” Topham says.