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Fairmont cross country runs to 1st, 2nd at Early Bird

FAIRMONT — The Class A, No. 3-ranked Fairmont Cardinals girls cross country team literally made the right strides to start the season, winning the Early Bird Invite on Friday.

The Cardinals improved their score of 12 from last year’s race to earn 10 points, followed by Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial/Nicollet’s runner-up score of 20.

The Fairmont boys team netted second place (16) as St. James took first with 13.

“It was a lot of fun,” Cardinals head coach Bob Bonk said. “We had a good weather day as it turned out, and I thought very good competition among the schools.”

The Blue Earth Area Bucs girls team tied for sixth with Heron Lake-Okabena (54), while the BEA boys team shared 11th place with Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial/Nicollet with 76 points.

Fairmont’s Laura Thompson and Tabitha Thatcher produced a 1-2 finish in the freshman division of the run with times of 16 minutes, 25.9 seconds and 17:32.6, respectively.

“(That race) put us over the top,” Bonk said.

Senior Iliana Ramon and junior Sarah Krumholz each ran to second-place finishes in their respective divisions for Fairmont. Krumholz marked a team-best 4K race of 16:17, while Iliana Ramon timed a 16:48.9 for the team’s second-best showing.

Teammates Emma Koehler and Anna Sundblad finished consecutively after Ramon, crossing the finish line in 18:10.6 and 18:15.8, respectively.

Kaitlin Johnson had the Bucs’ lowest time, posting an 18:11.3 for a runner-up spot among the sophomore finishers. Senior Melissa Hagedorn finished 10th with a time of 19:06.4.

William Saari and Connor Artner timed races of 15:05.3 and 15:26.2 for second and third place among freshmen to help the Cardinals boys team to second place. Seniors Nathan Willett (14:52.1) and Dayton Pasch (14:57.8) went 3-4, while Andrew Moeller’s time of 14:38.9 earned him a fourth-place spot in the junior division.

Grant Strukel won the sophomore race, breaking the tape in 14:01.9 for BEA. Brady Olsen followed with a sixth-best time of 15:53.9.

Blue Earth Area competes at Mankato East at 4 p.m. Tuesday. Fairmont runs in the Paul Metcalf Invitational at 10 a.m. Wednesday in Mountain Lake.

2017 EARLY BIRD INVITE

Varsity Girls (4K)

Team Standings: 1. Fairmont 10; 2. Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial/Nicollet 20; 3. St. Peter 26; 4. LeSueur-Henderson 39; 5. Jackson County Central 44; 6. (tie) Blue Earth Area, Heron Lake-Okabena 54; 8. Waterville-Elysian-Morristown/Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton 55; 9. Mountain Lake Area 58; 10. St. James 85. Incomplete: Medford, New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva.

Individual Results (Top 5)

Senior Division: 1. Jessica Christoffer (JCC) 16:08.9; 2. Iliana Ramon (F) 16:48.9; 3. Emma Koehler (F) 18:10.6; 4. Anna Sundblad (F) 18:15.8; 5. Cheyenne Schaffer (HLO) 18:22.7.

Other Fairmont results: 7. Megan Hawkins 18:50.1; 9. Lizzy Subbert 19:05.6; 16. Annie Mittelstadt 23:27.1; 18. Kailey Wiederhoeft 24:09; 19. Elora Ramon 24:55.

Blue Earth Area result: 10. Melissa Hagedorn 19:06.4.

Junior Division: 1. MaKenna Thurston (LCWM/Nicollet) 16:10.4; 2. Sarah Krumholz (F) 16:17; 3. Victoria Flores (LSH) 17:02.9; 4. Olivia Flack (LCWM/Nicollet) 17:36.3; 5. Emily Peterson (SP) 18:10.2.

Blue Earth Area results: 10. Callie Stevermer 20:15.1; 13. Arianna Nagel 21:04.8; 19. Emma Germain 22:47.6; 25. Amanda Jacobson 25:22.6.

Sophomore Division: 1. Isabelle Lind (SP) 16:17.5; 2. Kaitlin Johnson (BEA) 18:11.8; 3. Andrea Kelley (LCWM/Nicollet) 20:08.11; 4. Jade Mely (NRHEG) 20:13.9; 5. Norely Sanchez (SJ) 20:40.8.

Fairmont results: 11. Kobi Malo 22:52.1; 13. Yatzi Balderas 23:21.3; 17. Emily Kerekes 27:30.3.

Freshman Division: 1. Laura Thompson (F) 16:25.9; 2. Tabitha Thatcher (F) 17:32.6; 3. Arlett Rios (LSH) 18:15.3; 4. Courtney Kunst (WEM/JWP) 19:27.3; 5. Hadley Stuehrenberg (SP) 19:51.2.

Other Fairmont results: 9. Sara Sundblad 20:23.9; 10. Becca Lunn 20:57; 14. Tabitha Willner 22:55.9.

Varsity Boys (4K)

Team Standings: 1. St. James 13; 2. Fairmont 16; 3. Mountain Lake Area 25; 4. LeSueur-Henderson 33; 5. New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva 50; 6. Jackson County Central 56; 7. St. Peter 58; 8. Waterville-Elysian-Morristown/Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton 60; 9. Heron Lake-Okabena 63;10. Medford 68; 11. (tie) Blue Earth Area, Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial/Nicollet 76.

Individual Results (Top 5)

Senior Division: 1. Nathan Runck (MLA) 12:34.6; 2. Kaden Cameron (WEM/JWP) 13:54.2; 3. Nathan Willett (F) 14:52.1; 4. Dayton Pasch (F) 14:57.8; 5. Ben Lewer (NRHEG) 15:07.7.

Other Fairmont results: 8. Kellen Rodriguez 15:35; 19. Noah Wolter 17:49.8.

Junior Division: 1. Lane Schwarz (LSH) 14:17.2; 2. Bailey More (SP) 14:36.4; 3. Alex Knickrehm (SJ) 14:37.6; 4. Andrew Moeller (F) 14:38.9; 5. Dalton Piotter (MLA) 14:46.9.

Other Fairmont results: 7. Darrian Kueker 15:11.8; 12. Charles Garbers 15:57.7.

Blue Earth Area results: 26. Gunnar Fering 18:50; 27. Eric Becker 18:51.9.

Sophomore Division: 1. Grant Strukel (BEA) 14:01.9; 2. Troy Parulski 14:38.4; 3. Mauricio Vite (SJ) 15:14.9; 4. Benjamin Foss (SJ) 15:20.3; 5. Emilio Garcia de la Cruz (MLA) 15:24.

Other Blue Earth Area result: 6. Brady Olsen 15:53.9.

Fairmont results: 15. Jacob Lueth 17:27.2; 17. Blake Haugen 17:45.6; 22. Martin Mittelstadt 19:04; 26. Donovan Krill 19:59.2.

Freshman Division: 1. Juan Castaneda (SJ) 14:55.4; 2. William Saari (F) 15:05.3; 3. Connor Artner (F) 15:26.2; 4. Daniel Nydegger (NRHEG) 15:48.9; 5. Tyler Stursa (M) 15:57.6.

Blue Earth Area result: 16. Cameron Germain 18:46.8.

Junior High Girls (1 Mile)

Team Standings: 1. Waterville-Elysian-Morristown/Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton 19; 2. Mountain Lake Area 39; 3. Fairmont 44; 4. LeSueur-Henderson 59; 5. Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial/Nicollet 72.

8th-Grade Division: 1. Grace Moeller (LCWM/Nicollet) 6:01.1; 2. Lauren Dimler (WEM/JWP) 6:04.6; 3. Mercedes Saengosoth (MLA) 6:22.6; 4. Emma Gudahl (F) 6:16.5; 5. Hailey Juarez (LSH) 6:28.5.

Other Fairmont results: 13. Eleanor Hamlet 7:05.2; 17. Hannah Linse 7:18.9; 20 Angelica Kerekes 7:56.

Blue Earth Area results: 21. Elizabeth Jacobson 7:56.4; 28. Elle Wilkerson 9:32.9.

7th-Grade Division: 1. Addison Peed (WEM/JWP) 6:11.5; 2. Corene Moeller (F) 6:27.6; 3. Madison Kunst (WEM/JWP) 6:35.3; 4. Sophie Wilson (LSH) 6:36.5; 5. Madison Zimbrich (WEM/JWP) 6:43.1.

Other Fairmont results: 11. Abby Spear 6:58.8; 14. Brooklyn Pfeffer 7:07.1; 17. Allison Janssen 7:13.2; 18. Lilly Higgins 7:19.5; 25. Ashley Muller 7:57.3; 31. Amy Saari 8:45; 33. Mia Acosta 9:15.7.

Junior High Boys (1 Mile)

Team Standings: 1. Waterville-Elysian-Morristown/Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton 32; 2. Mountain Lake Area 51; 3. Medford 58; 4. Jackson County Central 62; 5. St. Peter 63.

8th-Grade Division: 1. Marco Crispin (St. James) 5:27.6; 2. Connor Snow (SP) 5:28.5; 3. Clayton Cavness (JCC) 5:38.3; 4. Henry Grayson (Medford) 5:41; 5. Miles Flack (Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial/Nicollet) 5:48.9.

7th-Grade Division: 1. Zack Wells (LCWM/Nicollet) 6:02.3; 2. Ryan Kronback (WEM/JWP) 6:04.8; 3. Tim Salentiny (Heron Lake-Okabena) 6:06.4; 4. Cohen Stursa (M) 6:06.7; 5. Joshua Bengston (WEM/JWP) 6:14.

Fairmont result: 11. Jack Hagen 6:45.2. Blue Earth Area result: 26. Carson Strukel 7:44.5.

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