Non Cross Country, Cross-Country

Everyone still ran 5000-meter courses overland. Some just didn’t have to travel cross country to do so, as the meets were closer to home. The week of Monday October 3 saw two county cross country programs host home events two days apart. Chatfield held their annual boys/girls combined score meet at Chosen Valley Golf Course. Rochester Area Home School (205:21.8), behind their first place boys and third place girls contingents, took first. Stewartville (210:27.4) took second (girls second, boys fourth). Chatfield finished fourth and LFC fifth (of 7). The Burro girls watched three Stewie Tigers, including champion Abby Orvis (19.55.9), finish in the top five. LFC’s top runner, Leah Ruen (21:31.5), finished seventh. However, teammates Kaylee Arndt (8th), Kiera Olson (9th), and Emily Snyder (10th) were next. Bailey Ruen (15th) and Ashley Miner (16th) weren’t too far back, allowing LFC to repeat as girls champions in a total time of 109:39.2. Stewartville was 109:57.0. Chatfield’s girls finished fifth, led by 8th grader Isabelle Berg (14th). On the boy’s side, Chatfield also finished fifth. Junior Dillon Nolan took 8th to pace the Gophers. LFCs boys took sixth behind senior Casey Olson (11th). Nick Meyer of W-K was the boys champion (17:18.7) followed by a pair of Home Schoolers. The meet resembled a steeplechase. The ‘dry run’ portion of the course wasn’t so dry, leaving the runners ‘mud-bogging’ it. LARP then hosted their traditionally scored home meet and the Lewiston Golf Course. On the girls side, the 4th-ranked LFC girls won their fourth straight race, 34 to 70 over Dover-Eyota. The veteran-rookie team of Kiera Olson (senior > 20:12.4) and Kaylee Arndt (8th grader > 20:16.4), for a second time this year (D-E Invite), finished two-three. The Ruen sisters (Leah 5th, Bailey 9th) finished top ten while Emily Snyder (15th) rounded out the scoring Burros. Rochester-Lourdes’ Lauryn Renier (20:02.4) was the girls champ. Kingsland took 8th and LARP was incomplete (of 11 full teams). Amelia Staat (27th) was the top Knight. On the guys side, powerhouse La Crescent (41) was champion over PEM (74). LARP took 5th, LFC 11th, and Kingsland 12th (of 12). Lancer Zach Emery won the race (16:13.8) over GMLOKS’s Peter Torkelson (16:49.8). LARP senior Dylan Linder (17:30.3) finished fourth overall. LFC’s Casey Olson took 15th.