Two area runners qualified for next week’s Class 1A state cross country meet in Fort Dodge thanks to top 10 performances in Cedar Rapids Thursday. Winfield-Mount Union’s Gavin Bencze and Keota’s Turner Klein were among the first seven runners across the finish line at the state qualifying meet at Noelridge Park. The top 15 individual place winners are invited to compete in the state meet next Saturday in Fort Dodge.

Bencze punched his ticket to the state meet for the third time in his career. He placed fourth in the state qualifying race, clocking a time of 16:57.99. Bencze finished the previous two seasons as a top 25 finisher in the Class 1A state meet. He placed 22nd as a sophomore and finished 17th as a junior.

Klein was less than two seconds behind Bencze but took seventh place with a time of 16:59.88. Wilton runners Buddy Darting and Noah Brown passed Klein less than 50 yards from the finish line, placing fifth and sixth respectively. The three runners were separated by less than one second.

The Class 1A boys’ cross country race will take place at 2:30 p.m. next Saturday, October, 29, at the Lakeside Municipal Golf Course in Fort Dodge.