FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn (KKWS) – The 2024 Minnesota State High School Cross Country Meet took center stage at the Les Bolstad Golf Course on the University of Minnesota campus, showcasing top talent from across the state. The awards ceremonies for Class AA boys and girls concluded earlier, with local teams and athletes making a strong impression.
Girls AA Results:
The girls’ race saw Alexandria High School finishing in second place with 86 points, followed closely by Perham in third with 93 points. The team title went to St. Paul Highland Park, who dominated the field with 53 points. St. Paul Highland Park senior Grace Lewis-Mosher led the pack as the individual medalist, crossing the line at 18:11. For 8AA runner-up Alexandria, junior Citori Halbe, who led the team with a season-best time of 18:47. Teammates Quinn Hills (19:08) and Bobbi Nichols (19:27) followed, both achieving personal bests. Seniors Kasey Soderholm and Anna Korynta also ran solid races, clocking in at 19:55 and 19:59, respectively. Junior Izzy Nei and freshman Mila Warzecha rounded out Alexandria’s top seven with PRs.
Junior Caidyn Breid led the Yellowjackets, finishing 21st with a time of 19:17.8. Fellow junior Avalee Brown followed closely in 25th at 19:24.1. Other notable performances included Gracie Morris in 38th and sophomore Tessa Starzl in 40th, both finishing under 20 minutes. junior Caidyn Breid, placed 21st, clocking in at 19:17.
Fergus Falls sophomore Cassie Wellman had a standout race as well, taking sixth place with a time of 18:31, earning a spot on the podium.
Boys AA Results:
In a thrilling boys’ race, Perham High School took home the runner-up trophy for the second straight season, finishing with 81 points, just behind Marshall, who claimed the title with 73 points. Perham’s senior standout, Bjorn Anderson, made his last high school cross country race one to remember, finishing second with a personal best of 15:16—just a second behind individual champion Sal Wirth of Annandale.
Perham junior Matt Jorgenson followed Anderson with an eighth place, setting a personal record of 15:54.4. Senior Carter Flatau and eighth-grader Brody Freeland finished 30th and 31st, respectively, with Freeland achieving a personal best of 16:24.8. Other top scorers included Reid Wokasch, Dylan Guck, and Henry Mathiason, contributing to Perham’s strong showing.
Fergus Falls placed 11th, with Jaden Miller as the top finisher for the Otters in 44th place, clocking in at 16:36. Detroit Lakes freshman Connor Malecka also set a personal record, finishing 46th with a time of 16:36.
Upcoming Races and Local Competitors
The meet continues with the Class AAA Girls race set to start at 12:15 p.m., followed by the Class AAA Boys race at 1:00 p.m. Brainerd Warriors’ girls team, the runner-up from Section 8AAA, is among those competing, along with several Bemidji athletes.
Class A, which features a significant number of local teams and runners, will run later in the day. Teams from Minnewaska Area, Staples-Motley, United North Central, and more are set to compete, along with individual runners from schools including Osakis, Parkers Prairie, and Wadena-Deer Creek.
Follow the latest updates on the Sports Cow Facebook page.