FAIRMONT — Runners removed their masks and moved to one of three starting lines separated by a few feet as they neared the first race of the 2020 Minnesota high school cross country season.

The Fairmont Cardinals’ girls cross country team then ran to a top finish in its first of six triangulars this season, scoring 17 points, far ahead of St. Peter’s runner-up 54 and St. James Area’s third-place 65.

The Fairmont boys then placed second behind perennial state qualifier St. James Area, 21-46, with St. Peter ending in third place with 74.

Fairmont’s Laura Thompson continued her dominance on the 4,000-meter course on the Fairmont High School campus, breaking her own course record with a time of 15:31.

Thompson led the field by more than the final straightaway, with Cardinal teammate Macy Hanson coming in second place at 16:54.

The run of Cardinals leading the pack continued with Tabitha Thatcher finishing third at 17:08 before St. Peter’s Hadley Stuehrenberg broke Fairmont’s run with a fourth-place finish.

Hannah Neusch claimed Fairmont’s fourth time with a fifth-place finish overall in the 4K race in 17:55. Emma Gudahl recorded the Cardinals’ final scored time with a sixth-place overall finish in 18:19.

Ellie Ortega was the next Cardinal to hit the chute when she finished eighth in 18:31, then teammate Eleanor Hamlet was close behind at 18:34 for ninth.

Carys Gudahl just missed a top-10 finish with an 11th-place time of 19:51 for Fairmont, while Sara Sundblad took 12th in 19:51.

Lily Higgins claimed 15th for the Cardinals with a time of 20:50, Olivia Ortega finished 20th in 23:33, Bethany Thatcher was next in 21st at 25:02 and Riley Lingl took 24th in 27:59.

Fairmont head coach Bob Bonk said though the heat wasn’t ideal, he thinks everyone was happy to get the first meet of the year going.

“It was so much fun just to have something, it’s been since the state meet for cross country since we had a competition for track or cross country,” Bonk said. “I think everybody was happy to have a meet. It got pretty hot, there wasn’t a lot of air moving. … By in large I thought it was a really fun start.”

Fairmont frontrunner Will Saari took third overall in the boys’ 4K run, crossing into the chute in 14:33, with teammate Connor Artner close behind, finishing fourth in 14:43.

St. James Area runners finished in seven of the top 10 spots in the boys field.

Caleb Rivera crossed the finish line first overall with a time of 13:34, while St. James Area teammate Marco Crispin earned runner-up honors in 14:16.

Will Niestrath was the next Cardinal to cross the finish line, hitting the chute at the 16:11 mark for 12th overall, followed by Selvin Forsythe in 13th place at 17:21.

Ben Moeller kept the run of Cardinals going with a 14th-place finish in 17:29.

Gavin Arnter was the next Cardinal to cross, finishing in 17:39 before Ethan Grunewald took 17th in 18:05.

Four Cardinals ran in the boys’ second heat.

Landon Weber finished in 18:55, Sebastian Castro ran to a time of 19:17, Parker Vetter finished in 19:26 and Landon Pederson hit the chute at 23:38.

“I was really pleased with the depth of the girls teamwise,” Bonk said. “We packed them in pretty tight. Laura broke her own course record in the 4K.

“Guys-wise, St. James (Area) has been to state quite a few years in a row and it looks like they have a great team again. … I was really happy with beating St. Peter since we have such a young team.”

Fairmont travels to Minn-Iowa Golf Course in Elmore next Thursday for a triangular with host Blue Earth Area and St. James Area. Races will start at 4:30 p.m.

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Fairmont Triangular

Varsity Girls (4K)

Team Results: 1. Fairmont 17; 2. St. Peter 54; 3. St. James Area 65.

Individual Results (Top 5): 1. Laura Thompson (FMT) 15:31; 2. Macy Hanson (FMT) 16:54; 3. Tabitha Thatcher (FMT) 17:08; 4. Hadley Stuehrenberg (STP) 17:17; 5. Hannah Neusch (FMT) 17:55.

Other Fairmont Results: 6. Emma Gudahl 18:19; 8. Ellie Ortega 18:31; 9. Eleanor Hamlet 18:34; 11. Carys Gudahl 19:22; 12. Sara Sundblad 19:51; 15. Lily Higgins 20:50; 20. Olivia Ortega 23:33; 21. Bethany Thatcher 25:02; Riley Lingl 27:59.

Varsity Boys (4K)

Team Results: 1. St. James Area 21; 2. Fairmont 46; 3. St. Peter 74.

Individual Results (Top 5): 1. Caleb Rivera (SJA) 13:34; 2. Marco Crispin (SJA) 14:16; 3. Will Saari (FMT) 14:33; 4. Connor Artner (FMT) 14:43; 5. Juan Casteneda (SJA) 14:52.

Other Fairmont Results: 12. Will Niestrath 16:11; 13. Selvin Forsythe 17:21; 14. Ben Moeller 17:29; 15. Gavin Arnter 17:39; 17. Ethan Grunewald 18:05; 20. Landon Weber 18:55; 22. Sebastian Castro 19:17; 23. Parker Vetter 19:26; 30. Landon Pederson 23:38.