Last year saw area cross country programs put together a strong collective campaign. LARPH’s boys made state for the fourth consecutive season, going as Section 1A runner-up. Kingsland sent two individual boys representatives to state in section champ Garrison Hubka and Cole Kruegel. L/FC’s Isaac Snyder also made state on the guys side. On the girls side, Chatfield had a strong unit, finishing just off the state pace, third at sections. The Gophers sent two girls to state, Aletta Strande and Lexi Kivimagi. GMLOS also had a state representative in McKenna Hendrickson. LARPH’s boys team returns 100% intact, meaning they should be a force. But of the six individual ‘Journal-covered’ state qualifiers, four were seniors. Only Snyder and Kivimagi return.
Lewiston-Altura/Rushford-Peterson/Houston again had the best ‘Journal-covered’ cross country team in their boys’ group. Matt Kingsbury’s Tro-Cards took second (to Cotter) at both the TRC Meet and at the Section 1A Meet. LARPH qualified for state for the fourth straight year, finishing 14th (of 16). And all that came after they lost their top two runners (Tyler Rislov, Andrew Hoiness) from 2021. Kingsbury reloaded, something that should not need to be done this year. He returns all seven of his 1A meet guy runners. Heading the cast is Ryan Prinsen (senior), the team’s top strider who took sixth at the TRC Meet (17:40.10) and eighth at sections (17:18.12). He took 63rd place at state to pace his team. Just behind Prinsen was fellow senior Tyler Betthauser (8th at TRC Meet in 18:02.5, 13th at 1A meet in 17:48.73). He took 93rd at state (of 159). Sophomore Aaron Ploetz (15th at 1A), freshman Brennan Kunst (15th at TRC, 18th at 1A), junior Matthew Sprague (19th at TRC, 30th at 1A), and sophomore Isaac Rasmussen (31st at 1A) also return following good big-meet finishes last season. Senior Sam Adamczyk (23rd at TRC), Trey Heyland (So.), and Dave Wallace (Sr.) give LARPH nine notable returnees. All (save for Ploetz) finished top 35 at the TRC Meet (of 128 runners). Prinsen, Betthauser, Kunst, and Sprague were All-TRC. Prinsen, Betthauser, and Sprague notably ran to state twice last school year, going amidst the RP/H track and field 4×800 team. And it is possible the group adds an elite runner in Wyatt Kreidermacher of Lewiston-Altura. The junior, who finished fifth at both the 1,600 and 3,200-meters of last spring’s 1A track and field meet, may try to do soccer and cross country. He would make LARPH’s boys even tougher. On the girls’ side, LARPH took a respectable fourth at the TRC Meet and seventh at sections (each one spot improved from 2022). The S-Eagles have three returning runners who finished top 35 at sections. Senior Lauren Honken (11th at TRC, 25th at 1A), sophomore Vada Larson (32nd at 1A), and senior Ellie Ekern (18th at TRC, 35th place at 1A) give LARPH a good trio. Honken and Ekern were All-TRC. Caitlin Bauer (8th grader) and Hannah Tuveson (So.) also return after running at sections. The S-Eagles notably host two meets this year, at Ferndale (9/19) and at Heartland (10/5) golf courses. They are also at the W-K, La Crescent/Hokah, Luther College, D-E, St. Charles, and PEM Invites.
Chatfield saw its top cross-country exploits go its girls team last year. For a third straight year, the Lady Gophers finished third at sections, contending for state. Chatfield’s gals were also TRC runner-up under first year coach Niki DeBuhr. The Gophers sent two girls to state individually, senior Aletta Strande and 8th grader Lexi Kivimagi. Each had a strong showing, Strande taking 36th, Kivimagi 38th. Strande, a two-time C-C state qualifier and five-time All-TRC pick, graduated. She was one of four seniors to compete at last year’s 1A Meet, joining Savannah Thompson, Belle Carr, and Anna Kivimagi. All finished top 55 (of 130 total runners). But Chatfield returns three of their top four from sections. Alongside stand-out L-Kivimagi (5th at TRC in 20:46.90, 4th 1A in 20:01.84), juniors Ella Bakken (12th at TRC, 20th at 1A) and Charlotte Oeltjen (19th at TRC, 24th at 1A) give the Gophers three good ones. The trio each made All-TRC last year. New girls will have to step up to keep Chatfield TRC and 1A title contender-worthy. On the guy’s side, the Gophers took sixth at the TRC meet and ninth at sections. They graduated two of their top three 1A meet finishers in Gabe Erding (18th at TRC, 32nd at 1A) and Treyten Lanning (21st at TRC, 57th at 1A). Each was All-TRC. Sophomore Maddex Lanning (56th at 1A) is the highest 1A meet returning finisher followed by junior Aiden Johnsrud (58th at 1A). Ivar Stavlund (So.), Alden Pearson (Jr.), and Nick Long (Sr.) also other notable returnees. The Gophers host their annual home invite (10/3). They are also at Stewartville, Hayfield, LARP (Ferndale GC), Winona-Senior, St. Charles, and PEM.
Lanesboro/Fillmore Central will look to improve upon last year’s team finishes. LFC’s girls took sixth (of 11) at the TRC Meet and 11th (of 19) at the 1A Meet. The boys took 11th at the TRC Meet and 15th (of 20) at the 1A Meet. Ellen Cullen’s group did sport a state qualifier. Isaac Snyder took seventh at the TRC Meet (18:01.4) and at the 1A Meet (17:17.88), qualifying to compete in Northfield. At state, Snyder took 83rd of 160 He returns for his senior year as LFC’s top runner overall. Gal runner Lillyan Kiehne took 17th at the TRC Meet and 13th at the 1A Meet, just missing out on the state cut. The sophomore is LFC’s top gals returning runner. Kiehne took fifth at sections in 2021, making state that season as an 8th grader. The Burros thus return a former state qualifying male and female competitor. Both were All-TRC last year. The girls graduated a second 1A Meet top 40 finisher (Addie Miner). Snyder was the only male runner to finish that high at sections. Other gal returnees who ran at sections last year are senior Klaudia Biel (25th at TRC), Charity Kingsley (8th grader), and Audra Otto (Jr.). The girls return four of seven 1A runners. Other notable guy returnees are Landon Sethre (Jr.), Nicholas Weist (Sr.), Jaxon Huntington (So.), and Grant Horihan (Jr.). The boys return five of the seven from the 1A Meet. L/FC has events at Stewartville, La Crescent/Hokah, D-E, LARP twice (Ferndale, Heartland GC’s), Pine Island, St. Charles, Chatfield, and PEM.
GMLOS cross country was led a year ago by the exploits of a state participant. Senior McKenna Hendrickson took third at the TRC Meet and eighth at the 1A Meet to qualify for Northfield. There, she finished a solid 53rd place. Hendrickson made state in three sports in her career; C-C, wrestling, and track and field. Team-wise, the male Lark-Card-Rebs were the better unit, taking fourth at the TRC Meet and seventh at sections. The girls took eighth at the TRC Meet and 12th at sections. The boys had two TRC and 1A Meet top 20 runners, Carter Glynn (13th at TRC, 16th at 1A) and freshman Tate Georgen (12th at TRC, 17th at 1A). Each was All-TRC. Only Glynn is out for C-C this year, making him the team’s top returning runner. Teague Alden (Jr. > 40th at 1A), Erik Shaw (Sr.), Brendon Andorfer (Sr.), and Cody Hyrkas (So.) also return. New coach McKenzie Bradley inherits a group with five of its top six male runners from sections returning. Hendrickson’s graduation hinders the girls squad a bunch, as she was the only GMLOS female runner to finish top 50 at the 1A Meet. The Bulldogs’ second-highest finisher at sections (Katy Ottman) also graduated. Naomi Warmka (So.), Karina Lee (So.), and Delaney Alden (Sr.) are GMLOS’ three returning girls’ runners from the 1A meet. All finished outside the top 75. The Bulldogs have invites at Stewartville, Hayfield, D-E, Pine Island, St. Charles, and LARP (in Lewiston). They also host the TRC Meet.
Kingsland was the only “Journal-covered” cross country team to boast two individual state qualifiers last year For a second straight season, the Knights sent Garrison Hubka and Cole Kruegel to Northfield. Hubka was the TRC and Section 1A champ, a three-time state C-C qualifier. Kruegel took third at the TRC Meet and at the 1A Meet. They finished a fantastic ninth and quality 40th place respectively at state. Said duo helped Kingsland’s boys finish third at the TRC meet and fifth at sections. But both were seniors, as were the Knights’ other two top runners Andrew Imm and Josh Meskill (who each finished top 50 at sections). All told, all five Knight guy runners to run at the 1A Meet graduated. Resultantly, the Knights have just one boy out grades 7-12 this year. They will not field a varsity team. The girls, meanwhile, took 10th (of 11) at the TRC Meet and 16th (of 19) and the 1A Meet. The Knights had seven girls run at sections last year and four return. Junior Kylie Meyer is the top runner (16th at TRC, 44th at 1A), an All-TRC honoree. Kaylie Betts (So.), Gretchen Hubka (Fr.), and Claire Mettler (Jr.) round out the returnees, as the Kingsland girls should have the numbers to score as a team. The Knights have running dates at W-K, Stewartville, Hayfield, D-E, Pine Island, Chatfield, LARP (Heartland GC), and PEM.
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