WADENA, Minn. (KWAD) – High school cross country returned to the Whitetail Run Golf Course in Wadena on Tuesday evening for the Johanna Olson Memorial Invitational. With 21 teams in attendance, the event showcased some of the region’s top talent, delivering a memorable race that culminated in a nail-biting finish.
United North Central claimed the overall team victory, capitalizing on strong performances from their runners, including senior Anjalie Aho, who narrowly missed out on first place in an exciting duel with Staples-Motley’s Audrey Brownell. Brownell, a junior and returning All-State runner, outpaced Aho by the slimmest of margins, crossing the finish line with a time of 19:59.081. Aho followed just milliseconds behind at 19:59.396.
Junior Macie Josephson added to United North Central’s success, finishing third with a time of 20:17.896, contributing significantly to the team’s first-place finish. The depth of United North Central’s roster was further demonstrated by strong finishes from sophomore Anaya Aho (22:01.167) and junior Elsa Komppa (22:13.055).
The Staples-Motley Cardinals, who finished second at the state meet last year, showed their prowess once again, led by Brownell’s victory and solid support from senior Naila Mikhaeil, who clocked in at 22:47.803, placing 20th overall.
Meanwhile, Border West’s Julia Schmidt, a senior, crossed the line in fourth place with a time of 21:14.163, followed closely by Bertha-Hewitt’s sophomore Kendra Miller, who completed the course in 21:29.158.
Minnewaska Area’s young talent also made waves, with eighth-graders Nori Song (21:34.444) and Jillian Deutsch (22:14.582) placing in the top 15, leading the Lakers to a second-place finish overall.
Wadena-Deerk Creek finished in third place with a three top-20 finishes: senior Amber Collins (21:59.405) placed ninth, sophomore Karly Haverkamp (22:21.220) was 14th, and junior Cambrie Geiger (22:42.855) was 19th overall.
TEAM RESULTS:
1 United North Central 46; 2 Minnewaska Area 61; 3 Wadena-Deer Creek 89; 4 Staples-Motley 148; 5 Sauk Centre 154; 6 Bertha-Hewitt 201; 7 Melrose 209; 8 West Central Area 231; 9 Parkers Prairie 257; 10 Ashby-Brandon-Evansville 264; 11 Barnesville 276; 12 Pillager 288; 13 Park Rapids Area 296; 14 Alexandria Community Christian 307; 15 LPGE 368; OTHER COMPETITORS: Border West, Pine River-Backus, Verndale, OTC, New York Mills, Ortonville, Benson/KMS
Complete meet results here: Girls 5K (Varsity) – WDC Johanna Olson XC Invitational – Sep 3, 2024 | Hero’s Timing (herostiming.com)