Event Coverage Central: Week Five

Friday 9/27

FULL MEET RESULTS

BOYS TEAM CHAMP: APPLE VALLEY | INDIVIDUAL WINNER: Aidan Browne, Woodbury, 16:40.4

RECAP: Woodbury senior Aidan Browne took the individual title but was followed closely by a trio of Apple Valley athletes and that would give the Eagles the team win. Sophomore Abdikafi Khalif, junior Maquanet Collins and senior Elliot Ewald gave Apple Valley a 2-3-5 performance that earned their team a 12 point win. Northfield junior Martin Brice was fourth to round out the top five individuals.

GIRLS TEAM CHAMP: WOODBURY | INDIVIDUAL WINNER: Grace Johnson, Red Wing, 19:13.4

RECAP: Woodbury ran their top five in the top ten in a comfortable team win at Red Wing. Red Wing senior Grace Johnson won the individual race with her second best performance of the season thus far. The Woodbury trio of senior Anna Muellner, sophomore Maggie McCarthy and Tiffany Holiday ran 2-3-4 overall, headlining the Royals great team performance. Woodbury averaged a 19:58 over a tight 43 second split. Red Wing eighth grader Addie Fjetland continues to emerge as a future star for the Wingers with a fifth place individual race.

Saturday 9/28

FULL MEET RESULTS | 21 VIDEO INTERVIEWS & GOLD RACE VIDEOS

MILESPLIT USA GOLD RACE RECAPS

BOYS GOLD TEAM CHAMP: WHITE BEAR LAKE | INDIVIDUAL WINNER: Oliver Paleen, Saint Paul Highland Park, 15:46.3

RECAP: When it came down to who was ready to win the coveted Griak Boys Gold title on Saturday a pair of Minnesota's best individuals broke away from a nationally recognized athlete with Saint Paul Highland Park senior Oliver Paleen edging Staples-Motley junior Emmet Anderson for the win. With about 1.5k to go Paleen and Anderson surged away from a pack that included junior Parker Wolfe of Cherry Creek (CO), Sioux Falls Lincoln (SD) senior Andrew Lauer and Greenway/Nashwauk-Keewatin junior Geno Uhrbom. The pair were separated by just a stride down the final 100 meters of straight away with MNXCCA class AA no. 1 ranked Paleen edging class A no. 1 ranked Anderson by less than a second in a memorable finish in what will be their only meeting until NXR Heartland. The race is affirmation for both runners being among the elite in the state and solidifies their status among emerging favorites for the individual title in respective MSHSL State Meets.

On the team side, White Bear Lake pulled off what could be considered a minor upset but, in reality, they merely proved worthy of their MNXCCA Class AA no. 3 ranking and showed that the best in Minnesota match up nicely with many of the other quality programs in the midwest. Their victory came through improving upon projections at their fifth spot and a solid 53 split to give them a 34 point win over runner-up Edina. The Hornets were better up front but lost significant points in the third and fourth spots and could not make up enough ground in the final scoring position despite a 55 second split of their own. Head to head the difference between first place WBL, Edina and third place Frontier Academy (Greeley, CO) was a mere 37 points. The teams had nearly identical averages with Frontier equaling the Bears 53 second split and just one second behind Edina's 17:01 average. Highland Park, led by an impressive three in the top 18 scorers and Rosemount, who used narrow 42 second split, finished eighth and tenth respectively to round out Minnesota teams in the top ten. Edina was led by senior Russell Gokemeijer in 20th. White Bear was led by Max Nelson who was 22nd while Rosemount was led by junior Brennen Peterson who was 59th. (***editor's note: a fall occurred in the boys race when several runners were tangled up and several coaches stated they believe it made recovering in a large field difficult)

GIRLS GOLD TEAM CHAMP: CHERRY CREEK (CO) |  INDIVIDUAL WINNER: Riley Stewart, Cherry Creek (CO), 17:29.3

RECAP: Cherry Creek lived up to their MS50 no. 16 ranking and it will be no surprise to see them rise after Saturday's outstanding victory in the girls Griak Gold race. Even with several teams missing key performers, the Bruins tucked four in the top twenty, six in the top 50 and their top seven in the first 77 scoring runners for a very low 75 score by Griak standards. It started with sophomore Riley Stewart winning in 17:29.3, less than a second shy of Emily Covert's 2018 course record, and rolled through with an 18:39 team average despite a nearly two minute split.

After MS50 no. 3 Naperville North, who was runner-up in the team competition, came three of Minnesota's most consistent programs. Stillwater took the third position with five runners in the top 75 with Edina fourth, also getting five in the top 75 scorers. A less than full strength Wayzata showed they are very much on their way up finishing fifth while still holding out potential no. 1 runner Emma Atkinson who is recovering from illness. The difference between Naperville North and fourth place Edina was just 23 points. 

Farmington junior Anna Fenske proved her metal with a strong charge in the final 100 meters to finish second in 18:08.6, a season best result in a head to head race with the two athletes ranked ahead of her in the MNXCCA Class AA poll and six other coach ranked class AA Minnesota runners. Wayzata's current top athlete, freshman Abbey Nechanicky used a furious finish moving up double figure places to take fourth in a season best 18:13.9. Stillwater junior Analee Weaver ran among the chase pack behind the top three for most of the race before holding on to seventh in 18:17.7, two seconds off a season best mark, keying the Ponies success in the team score.

Farmington finished eighth in the team standings five in the top 110 scorers. Saint Paul Highland Park was also impressive with their top five in the fastest 115 scoring runners to finish ninth. Saint Michael Albertville filled out the Minnesota teams in the top ten with a tenth place finish. Highland Park was led by sophomore Molly Moening in 16th place overall in 18:55.1, a season best. STMA was led by sophomore Ali Weimer who was 14th in 18:43.9.

BOYS MAROON TEAM CHAMP: NOTRE DAME ACADEMY (WI) |  INDIVIDUAL CHAMP: Frankie Lynch, Benilde-Saint Margaret, 16:32.9

RECAP: Notre Dame Academy of Green Bay, WI was the top team in the maroon race, their third straight win in the event. They showcased a strong 17:33 split over just 32 seconds to edge team runner up Nova Classical Academy. Notre Dame, last year's WIAA Division 2 runner-up claimed small point victories at all five scoring spots to finish ahead of Nova who was also impressive with a17:38 spread over just a 31 seconds split. Minneapolis Southwest was third in a strong race that saw the Lakers place three runners in front of both no. 1 athletes from ND and Nova but a fifth runner in the 130's ended up pushing Southwest back to third.

Minneapolis Washburn was fifth with an outstanding 33 second split and 17:52 average. Lakeville South, Champlin Park and Saint Cloud Cathedral finished 8-9-10 to wrap up Minnesota teams in the top ten. 

Benilde-Saint Margaret senior Frankie Lynch improved upon his 15th place 2018 maroon race finish by winning this year's edition with a 16:32.9, 13 seconds ahead of runner-up, Champlin Park senior Connor Preston. Junior Jakub Baatrup-sabo and eighth grader Sam Scott of Minneapolis-Southwest ran fifth and eighth overall to spearhead the Lakers great team performance.

Sophomore Caden Nordberg of Saint Michael-Albertville was 14th with Rogers junior Alex Heidorn and MPLS SW sophomore Ruben Margolis going 14-15. Champlin Park senior Dontae Johnson rounded out Minnesota runners in the top 20 in that same 20th place. Junior Theo Andre and senior Dare Akinmusire were 21 and 22 overall to lead second place team Nova Classical.

GIRLS MAROON TEAM CHAMP: SHOREWOOD (WI) | INDIVIDUAL WINNER: Reagan Baesler, Hillsboro/Central Valley, 19:04.1

RECAP: Shorewood (WI) placed a pair of runners in the top 15 and added a third in the top 30 to separate from runner-up and 2018 champ Saint Louis Park for the maroon team title. Despite a 1:48 team split the low sticks up front and a solid 59th place fifth runner proved decisive for Shorewood, who was 5th last year at the WIAA Division 2 State Meet. 

St Louis Park had all seven runners come through in the top 112 scorers, including five in the top 81 to edge third place finisher Brandon Valley (SD) who's split of nearly three minutes hurt them despite a better team average than SLP. Albany and Winona were ninth and tenth as the other Minnesota teams in the top ten team results.

Saint Paul Central sophomore Iris Guider ran to a quality second place individual finish in her second fastest race of the year and improving upon last season's 50th place maroon race Griak debut. Anoka eighth grader Kaelyn Nelson was eighth overall followed by Totino-Grace junior Emilie Meyer and SLP eighth grader Jersey Miller in ninth and tenth.

Albany senior Kristine Kalthoff, Math & Science Academy freshman Greta Hansen and Providence Academy senior Madeline Kelly went 13-14-15 overall. Winona senior Anni Skillicorn and Irondale freshman Emily Ellingson were 18th and 19th to round out Minnesota athletes in the top 20. 

FULL MEET RESULTS

BOYS TEAM CHAMPS: HOPKINS | INDIVIDUAL WINNER: Sam Marshall, Eagan, 16:43.0

RECAP: Hopkins sent a group of their top runners to Willmar and the Royals claimed a team victory in a field of 10 class AA and A squads. Several AA schools including Eagan and Wayzata held out top athletes or sent their varsity to Griak but the seven from Hopkins still ran a decent 17:09 average with three in the top ten over just a 49 second split. Eagan was second with a group outside their top five including the individual winner, Eagan junior Sam Marshall in 16:43, his second best time of the season. He was followed by fellow Eagan junior Andre Huston and third place Hopkins junior Ben Haberman.

GIRLS TEAM CHAMPS: WEST FARGO | INDIVIDUAL WINNER: Sydney Drevlow, Hopkins, 19:10.6

RECAP: West Fargo earned the team title at Willmar by running their top five in the top 21 scorers. Willmar was the team runner-up with a 20:41 average over a 95 second split. The Cardinals placed their top five in the top 34 scorers in a field that had several of the second seven from class AA teams and various other line-ups from class A squads. 

Hopkins seventh grader Sydney Drevlow won the individual title in 19:10.6, a new career best. West Fargo junior Hope Pringle was runner up ahead of Hopkins junior Laci Provenzano in third Moorhead senion Taylor Melton was fourth with Luverne sophomore and MNXCCA Class A no. 4 Tenley Nelson in fifth.