A brisk day at St. Olaf College in Northfield showcased a bevy of new champions in the state cross country meet Saturday afternoon.
Sophomore Maria Hauger of Shakopee did not get the memo, apparently, repeating as Class AA girls champion in the last race of the day.
Hauger finished with a time of 14:18.9, shaving 21.9 seconds off the championship time from her freshman campaign.
“I feel more overjoyed with this one,” she said. “I can’t even put it into words. This is so cool.”
Hauger said she felt like Saturday’s race was harder than last year’s.
“In the middle of the race I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh. I don’t think I’m going to have anything left,’ ” she said. “It was just harder this time, I thought.”
Junior Jaime Piepenburg of Alexandria, who finished third in last year’s meet, placed second this time, 14.2 seconds behind Hauger.
Senior Megan Platner of Eden Prairie made it back-to-back years with a top-five finish by placing third.
Platner helped lead the Eagles to the Class AA team championship as Eden Prairie totaled 69 points to capture its second title in three years.
Monticello, which finished fifth at last year’s meet, grabbed second with 79 points, and Lakeville South took third with 141.
Earlier Saturday, senior Adam Zutz of St. Francis captured the boys Class AA title with a time of 15:33.4.
“This has been my dream ever since eighth grade,” he said. “It’s good to see all the hard work finally pay off.”
Zutz said junior Cole O’Brien of Burnsville passed him on the last leg of the race.
“I was kind of doubting myself,” he said, “but I never would have lived with myself if I lost by two seconds, so I just went for it.”
O’Brien finished second, 1.7 seconds behind Zutz. Last year’s champion, senior Aaron Bartnik of Eden Prairie, finished third but improved his time by 13.8 seconds.
Wayzata, led by junior Josh Thorson (15:54.2), won its third team title in four years, finishing with 61 points. Second place went to Moorhead (130), which edged out Rosemount (134).
Senior Mason Ferlic of Mounds Park Academy won the first event of the day: the Class A boys race. He finished with a time of 15:47.6, improving on last year’s fifth-place finish by 42.5 seconds.
“I just looked straight ahead,” he said. “I wasn’t going to panic or worry that someone was right behind me. I knew my pacing was good.”
Ferlic could not hide his elation, hugging family and friends at the finish line.
“This feels awesome,” he said with a big smile. “You have no idea.”
Senior Matt Jergenson of Caledonia passed junior Mubarik Musa of Worthington in the final seconds to place second. Musa won the 2009 boys Class A title as a sophomore with a time of 16:01.8.
After finishing second in the past two state meets, Perham won the Class A boys title with 78 points and an average time of 17:00.4. It was the third title in the past five years for the Yellow Jackets.
Last year’s champion, Plainview-Elgin-Millville, finished second with 98 points and an average time just one second slower than Perham’s. This was just the third year that the Bulldogs have competed as a combined school.
St. Cloud Cathedral finished third for the second straight year with 102 points.
The Class A girls meet was won by sophomore Marissa Shady of Esko, who placed 23rd in last year’s event. Shady finished in 14:45.4.
“I came into the race thinking I had a shot at top 10,” she said. “I didn’t think I had a chance to win, but I just went for it.”
Shady’s surprise was evident when she crossed the finish line and embraced her family in tears.
“It still hasn’t sunk in,” she said. “It’s overwhelming.”
Shady practiced with the Esko boys team in the weeks leading to the state meet and said it helped her prepare and stay focused during the race.
Junior Lauren Friese of Fairmont finished second, just .7 seconds ahead of sophomore Elena Danielson of St. Cloud Cathedral.
After having a run of four straight state championships snapped last year with a fourth-place finish, Adrian won the girls Class A team title. It was the Dragons’ fifth title in six years. Second place went to St. Cloud Cathedral, Dover-Eyota/St. Charles took third after not qualifying last year.
