Introducing Your 2023 MN XC Runners of the Year Candidates

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The 2023 Minnesota cross country season has officially come to an end with the running of Nike Cross Nationals and the RunningLane Championships last weekend. It was a season to remember in Minnesota with breakout stars, dominant returning teams, future stars emerging, and records broken. 

Here we look at the nominees for the MileSplit Minnesota Boys and Girls XC Runner of the Year polls!

Voting will start on 12/8 at 7 AM and closes on 12/15 at 7 PM.

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Robert Mechura (Roseville)

Mechura rewrote the standard for Minnesota boys cross country this year becoming the Class AAA State Champion, winning the NXR Heartland Regional Championship with a new meet record, and demolishing the Minnesota state record for the 5K with a time of 14:32. Mechura finished his season at NXN where he finished 20th overall and ranked #2 overall nationally this season with his time of 14:32 in the 5K. 

Sam Scott (Minneapolis Southwest)

Scott saved his best for last this season as the Minneapolis Southwest senior won four races, finished 2nd at Roy Griak, was the Class AAA runner-up at state, and ran the #2 5K time in state history with a time of 14:36.40. For the whole season Scott averaged a whopping 5K average of 15:11.15. Scott finished his season off with a 12th-place finish at NXN. 

Erik Semling (Cotter)

This season Semling cemented his status as a future star in Minnesota by running the #1 8th-grade Minnesota boys time in state history with his time of 15:43.50. That put him in his own category as the only Minnesota middle-school boy all-time to run under 16 minutes for the 5K. Semling ran the #2 time for his class this season nationally. 

Eli Hall (Pequot Lakes)

Hall became a first-time state champion this year for Class AA when at the state meet he dominated in tune to a time of 15:13.30, winning by 11 seconds. Hall ran the #2 5K time for Class AA this season while winning six race titles this season and improving his PR by 28 seconds from 2022. 

Bjorn Anderson (Perham)

Anderson will return next season as one of Minnesota's top runners after an impressive 2023 season that saw him win eight races, run the #1 5K time in Class AA and set a new PR by 27 seconds from 2022. Anderson was probably the most consistent Class AA runner this season and had impressive finishes of 7th at Roy Griak and 17th at NXR Heartland. 

Will Weber (Wayzata)

Another returner for 2024 will be Wayzata's Will Weber who will look to again lead the Wayzata boys to the Class AAA state title and another berth to NXN. Weber was Wayzata's #1 runner this season leading them at all meets, winning two races along the way. He finished the season as the #4 runner by time in Minnesota with his 5K time of 15:05.60. 

Nolan Sutter (Chaska)

After a dominant 2022 season, Sutter took another step forward in 2023 to become one of the twelve boys in state history to run a 5K time under 15 minutes. Sutter ran a time of 14:53.80 at the NXR Heartland Regional to finish 7th overall. His time of 14:53.80 ranks #4 in state history. He also won five races overall and finished 4th at the state championships. 

Eddie Snider (Mounds Park Academy)

Snider will come back next year to defend his Class A title from this year in a race he won by just 1 second with a time of 15:40. This season he won five races in Minnesota and finished 2nd in the boys Maroon race at Roy Griak for his only loss in Minnesota this season. He then ran at the NXR Heartland Regional where he finished 59th overall. 

Lev Dougherty (Heritage Christian Academy)

A sophomore for Heritage Christian Academy, Dougherty has now been an integral member of a Heritage boys team that has now won the past two Class A state titles. Dougherty was the top runner this season for Heritage, winning four races individually, running a PR of 15:42.50, and finishing 5th for Class A at state. 

Isaiah Anderson (Mankato East)

Anderson led the Mankato East boys to their second straight Class AA state title this year in a race they won in a dominant effort scoring just 46 points. Anderson was Mankato East's lead runner all year long and individually he finished with five wins this season, a new 5K PR of 15:30.90, and a 5th place finish at the state meet. 

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Norah Hushagen (Forest Lake)

The junior for Forest Lake just finished a remarkable season that saw her win the Class AAA state title, the NXR Heartland Regional title and six other races alongside her two huge wins. Hushagen finished as the #1 5K runner in Minnesota this season with a time of 17:07.30 and ranked #45 nationally for the 5K this fall. 

Olivia Pauly (St. Johns Prep)

Pauly reigned this fall as the Class A champion this season in a dominant effort that saw her win the state title by 11.1 seconds. Pauly went from finishing 30th at the 2022 meet to becoming the 2023 champion in a season that saw her improve her PR by 61 seconds and win seven meets overall. 

Mia Hoffmann (Bemidji)

Hoffmann won just about everything in sight this season, winning seven races in a row before finishing second at the state meet. During that streak she won the Roy Griak Maroon race, the Perham Yellow Jacket Harrier Classic, and the Section 8AAA Championship title. Overall she ranked as the #2 runner in Minnesota by time with her 5K PR of 17:27.10. 

Isabelle Schmitz (Hutchinson)

Schmitz was nearly unstoppable in Minnesota during her senior season which saw her win her second straight Class AA state title, win nine races, and only lose once in Minnesota with her 4th place finish at the Roy Griak Invitational. She finished her season strong by running a new PR of 17:29 at the Heartland Regional. 

Jazleen Malherek-Osorio (Wayzata)

The surprise lead runner this season for Wayzata after an injury sidelined Maddie Gullickson, Malherek-Osorio was more than up to the task en route to leading the Wayzata girls to the Class AAA state title and to another berth to NXN after winning the Heartland Regional. Overall, Jazleen never won a meet this season, but finished 2nd four times and finished as the #2 sophomore girl in Minnesota with a time of 17:50. 

Evie Malec (Minnetonka)

Malec continued her momentum from last year's cross country season and turned in a historic freshman season for Minnetonka. Malec set a new PR of 17:38.20 this season which ranked as the #1 time in Minnesota, the #12 time for her class this fall, and the #4 time all-time for a Minnesota freshman girl. 

Jenna DeBates (Luverne)

The Luverne senior finished her high school cross country on a high note winning nine races, her second straight Big South Conference title, and breaking through to win her first Section 3A title. DeBates also 4th at the State Championships and 52nd at the Heartland Regional. She set a new 5K PR this season of 18:07.25. 

Ella Voit (St. Cloud Cathedral)

Voit led the St. Cloud Cathedral girls to the Class A state team title this season where she finished 3rd overall to lead the Cathedral girls to the title in a dominant effort scoring 68 points. Voit herself won three races this year, set a new 5K PR of 18:08.26, and finished in the top five at nine different races. 

Allyson Sample (Marshall)

Sample led the Marshall girls this year to the Class AA effort with the Marshall girls winning by 20 points over St. Paul Highland Park and Alexandria. Sample herself finished her senior season on a high note in Minnesota by finishing 1st at the Big South Conference Championships, 2nd at the 2AA Championships, and 3rd at the Class AA State Championships. She also set a new 5K PR of 18:12.07 this fall. 

Caitlyn Osanai (Robbinsdale Armstrong)

Osanai's times might not be near the top of the leaderboard this season, but when it mattered she won some of the biggest meets in Minnesota with titles at the St. Olaf HS Showcase, Osseo Invitational, Northwest Suburban Conference Championships, and the Section 6AAA Championships on her resume. She won four meets this season and saved her best for last with a 17:45 PR at the NXR Heartland Regionals.