Boys’ and Girls’ State Cross Country Meet Preview

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)