BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. – The 2017 State Cross Country
Meet will be conducted on Saturday, November 4, at St. Olaf College in Northfield.
Here is a look at the meet:
FAST FACTS
The schedule: Class AA girls – 10 a.m.; Class AA boys –
11 a.m.; Class A girls – 1 p.m.; Class A boys – 2 p.m. All races are 5,000
meters and an awards ceremony will be conducted approximately 30 minutes after each
girls’ race.
Tickets: Free admission
Team and individual results: Posted on the League’s
website at www.mshsl.org
Social media: Follow the meet on the League’s Facebook
page and on Twitter at @MSHSL and @MSHSLJohn.
TEAM PREVIEW
Boys
Class A – The Mora Mustangs return in search of their
fourth consecutive and overall team title. In addition to Mora, five other
teams from the 2016 field also return: Perham, runner-up; West Central Area of
Barrett, fifth; La qui Parle Valley/Dawson-Boyd, sixth; Mankato
Loyola/Cleveland, 12th; and Greenway/Nashwauk-Keewatin, 13th.
Class AA – The defending champions from Wayzata return in
search of more gold. If they win, it would be their ninth title. Ten other
teams from 2016 also return: Edina, runner-up; Mounds View, fourth; Stillwater
Area, sixth; Cloquet, eighth; Sartell-St. Stephen, ninth; Red Wing, 11th;
Rosemount, 12th; Forest Lake, 13th; Buffalo, 14th; and White Bear Lake Area,
16th.
Girls
Class A – Ten teams, including the defending champions
from Fairmont, return to this year’s team competition. The other returning
teams are: Perham, runner-up; Annandale, third; Luverne, fourth; La qui Parle
Valley/Dawson-Boyd, seventh; Eden Valley-Watkins/Kimball, eighth; Minnehaha
Academy, which includes students from Hope Academy of Minneapolis and Gentry
Academy of Vadnais Heights, ninth; Belle Plaine, 13th; West Central Area of
Barrett, 15th; and Proctor, 16th. If Fairmont wins, it would be the third title
for the Cardinals.
Class AA – The Edina Hornets are looking for their third
consecutive championship. If they win, it would also be their third title
overall. Seven additional teams return from the 2016 field: Willmar, runner-up;
Marshall, fourth; Forest Lake, sixth; St. Michael-Albertville, eighth;
Lakeville South, ninth; White Bear Lake Area, 12th; and Andover, 15th.
INDIVIDUAL PREVIEW
Boys
Class A – Defending champion, senior Declan Dahlberg of
Mounds Park Academy of St. Paul, leads a field of three returning Top 10
finishers. The others are: senior Matt Steiger of La Crescent, runner-up; and
senior Ethan Olson of Moose Lake/Willow River/Barnum, fifth.
Class AA – Khalid Hussein, a senior from Wayzata, is the
highest returning qualifier. Hussein earned runner-up honors in 2016. Senior
Joseph Minor of Minneapolis Washburn is the only other returning Top 10
finisher; he placed eighth last year.
Girls
Class A – Ninth-grader Tierney Wolfgram of Math &
Science Academy of Woodbury returns to defend her 2016 title. She will be
joined by four additional Top 10 finishers from last year: ninth-grader Marissa
Whitehead of Martin County West/Martin Luther, runner-up; junior Kayla Christopherson
of Austin Pacelli, sixth; ninth-grader Kira Sweeney of Staples Motley, seventh;
and ninth-grader Morgan Gehl of Murray County Central, eighth.
Class AA – Defending champion, ninth-grader Anna Fenske
of Farmington, leads a field of six returning Top 10 finishers. Fenkse will
face top competition from her teammate, junior Lauren Peterson, who earned
runner-up honors last year. The other returning runners are: Minnetonka senior
Sophie Whicher, fifth; Minneapolis Washburn junior Emily Covert, eighth; Edina
senior Emily Kompelien, ninth; and Edina sophomore Morgan Richter, 10th.
2016 STATE TOURNAMENT RECAP
Boys
Class A – The Mora Mustangs claimed their third
consecutive team title with 93 points. Perham placed second with 99 points and
La Crescent was third with 123 points. Declan Dahlberg of Mounds Park Academy
of St. Paul claimed top individual honors with a time of 15:56.9. The victory
was an improvement for Dahlberg, who placed 19th in 2015. Matt Steiger of La
Crescent and Carl Kozlowski of Lake City, placed second and third,
respectively.
Class AA – Patrick Roos of Edina, who placed fifth in
2015, won the individual competition with a time of 15:36.4. Khalid Hussein of
Wayzata placed second and Innocent Murwanash of St. Paul Como Park was third. Wayzata
earned its eighth team championship with 38 points. The Trojans won previously
in 1992, 1993, 2000, 2007, 2008, 2013, and 2014. Edina finished in second place
with 91 points and Maple Grove placed third with 128.
Girls
Class A - Fairmont earned its second team crown,
finishing with 84 points. The Cardinals won their first title in 1988. Perham
was second with 86 points and Annandale placed third with 127 points. Tierney
Wolfgram of Math & Science Academy of Woodbury, who placed 10th in 2015,
won the individual title. Her winning time was 18:23.6. Marissa Whitehead of
Martin County West/Martin Luther claimed runner-up honors and Brynnan Covington
of Perham placed third.
Class AA – Anna Fenske of Farmington earned her first individual
title with a time of 17:41.5. The win was an improvement for Fenske, who
finished ninth in 2015. Lauren Peterson of Farmington placed second and senior
Anastasia Korzeno of Chanhassen was third. In the team competition, the Edina
Hornets earned their second consecutive and overall championship with 45
points. Willmar was second with 58 points and Minnetonka was third with 105.
(via mshsl)
(via mshsl)
