Sports : VS freshman Fett earns trip to State Cross Country Meet

After finishing third at the WaMaC Conference cross country meet last week, Vinton-Shellsburg freshman Kay Fett earned a spot in the Class 3A State Cross Country Meet with a 4th place finish in the state qualifying meet at West Delaware Thursday evening. Coach Jeff Mangold says Kay's success is a combination of talent and hard work. "From day one at practice this summer, Kay was one of the hardest working, if not the hardest working, runner on the team, and that continued through every practice for the entire season," says Mangold. While Kay is a very talented runner, what makes her great is her attitude and work ethic, says the coach. "As the season progressed, Kay learned how to run smarter, knowing when to surge, and when to pace herself," he explains. "Everything came together at South Tama where she won the meet by attacking the hills. She then took first place at our home meet also. Last night she took 4th place at the regional state qualifier in Manchester, and will get the opportunity to run at the state meet in Fort Dodge on October 27." Fett's time in the state qualifying race was officially recorded at 20.00. Winning the race in Class 3A was Center Point-Urbana's Adrianna Katcher, with a time of 18:48. She had also won the WaMaC event "Kay is just a fantastic kid, and very coachable," says Mangold. "She earned her ticket to state with hard work that complimented her natural talent. Coach Francois, myself and the team are all very proud of her accomplishments, and can't wait to see how she competes with the best at the state meet."