Celebrating a legacy of success
The roots of Johnston’s Girls Cross Country trace back to Craig Oldham and Rick Rynning, the founders respectively of the high school and junior high programs. The tradition established by coaches Oldham and Rynning provided a deep foundation that was inherited by Patrick Hennes, first as an assistant varsity coach in 2002 and then as head varsity coach in the fall of 2003. Chris Siewert joined Coach Hennes as assistant varsity coach in 2003.
This fall will mark the 23rd year of their coaching journey, a partnership that has led to 22 IGHSAU Class 4A State Meet appearances, 10 podium finishes (Top 3), six State Championships and one Nike Team Nationals appearance (2024). In addition to their proud history at the Iowa State Meet, the Dragons have 14 State Qualifying Meet and nine CIML Conference Championships. Moving beyond their team accolades, the Dragons have had one individual State Champion (Paige Horner - 2017), four individual runners-up and a total of 32 individual 1st Team All-State (Top 15) finishers.
“I think that each generation of athletes has built on the success and the culture that was gifted to them by the athletes who came before them,” Hennes said. “You have to have a group of athletes who are willing to challenge themselves and to come together as a TEAM to raise the bar that they have set for themselves.”
Alumnae of the award-winning Johnston girls cross country program are still reaping the benefits from participating during their high school years.
Bella Heikes graduated from Johnston in 2021 and is now in graduate school at Iowa State University, where she also runs on the cross country and track teams. Heikes ran for the high school girls cross country team from 2017 to 2020 and was a leading member of three state championship teams.
“When I got to college, I quickly realized how rare the Johnston cross country team is, and I felt so grateful to have been a part of the program,” Heikes said. “The healthy perspective that I learned in high school, that the team comes first, that this sport is meant to be fun, and that one race doesn’t define you, eased my transition to college running.
“The great conversations and laughs I had with my teammates made the miles pass by so fast,” Heikes said. “It was so special to have such a supportive and fun group of girls to train with. The team goals were always understood and respected. We knew the most important goal was supporting each other so we could be great together. We recognized that winning a state championship was just the cherry on top of a season full of amazing memories with lifelong friends.”
For past and present members of the team, it’s more than just titles that make being a part of this team something special.
These athletes wouldn’t be as successful without the help of their supportive coaches. Hennes and Siewert are joined by Madison Buckley, Morgan Casey and Tori Starcevich on the girls cross country current high school coaching staff. Also integral to the support and success of the team have been coaches such as Jodi Buchan, Carlie Fitzgerald and Michele Poss.
“Our goal is to provide our athletes with a team culture that is welcoming to everyone who wants to become the best possible version of themselves and is willing to contribute to an environment where everyone can experience success,” Hennes said. | 
