Prep Cross Country: Danville/New London Atop 2A Boys’ Rankings:
The Danville-New London boys’ cross country will enter their 2021 season as the top dogs among the Class 2A pack.
Yesterday the Iowa Association of Track Coaches announced their preseason rankings and Danville-New London checks in at No. 1 following a terrific 2020 year.
Now, expectations remain the same.
Joining them in the 2A top-five are Western Christian, Tipton, Williamsburg and Des Moines Christian.
Davis County is the preseason No. 8 in Class 2A boys’.
No area teams are featured in the 2A girls’ poll.
Pekin is in the top-10 in Class 1A boys’ — the Panthers being their season No. 9.
Columbus Junction is No. 14.
The Pekin girls’ are No. 3 to begin the season in Class 1A, as well.
Individual preseason rankings are expected to be released later this week.
Babe Ruth Baseball: Ottumwa Hosting Babe Ruth World Series:
Some of the top 14-year-old baseball players in the country are in Ottumwa this week.
The Babe Ruth Baseball 14-year-old World Series got underway Saturday and will continue this week — culminating with the championship game being played Saturday afternoon.
Ottumwa has already seen thousands of visitors to the area.
Teams from New Jersey, Arkansas, North Dakota, Oregon, New Hampshire, California, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Florida are competing for the World Series crown.
Ottumwa is competing in the World Series themselves.
The 14-year old Bulldogs will take on the Babe Ruth All-Stars from Eau Claire, Wisconsin tonight at 7:00 p.m.
Men’s College Soccer: Iowa Wesleyan Opens Season Tonight:
The Iowa Wesleyan men’s soccer team — who finished the spring 6-2-2 — will open their exhibition season tonight on the road when they take on Southeastern Community College in a nonconference affair.
Southeastern was the top junior college in the country last year, winning the Junior College Division II National Championship defeating The Community College of Baltimore County 3-2 in Wichita, Kansas.
The Blackhawks finished their season 17-2-1.
Tonight’s game — again an exhibition contest — will be played at 4:00 p.m. on the campus of Southeastern Community College.
Women’s College Soccer: Wartburg Tabbed to Win American Rivers:
The Wartburg women’s soccer team are the coaches’ choice to win the 2021 American Rivers Conference Women’s Soccer title.
The preseason poll was announced yesterday.
Wartburg was chosen first on seven ballots and earned 63 points to take the No. 1 ranking in the Coaches preseason poll.
The Knights feature former Danville standout Kate Luers.
Luers started all seven spring games for the Knights and was named the ARC Offensive Player of the Week for the week of April, 19th.
Loras College was picked second and earned 57 points, taking two first-place votes.
Dubuque garnered 48 points to earn third in the poll while Luther tallied 42 points as the coaches’ pick for fourth-place.
The season will get underway for conference clubs on Saturday, August 28th.