OFF & RUNNING — Members of the Fairmont Running Club, from left, Emma Gudahl, Carys Gudahl, Macy Hanson, Eleanor Hamlet, Hannah Neusch, Tabitha Thatcher and Laura Thompson, break from the starting line during Saturday’s TC Running Company Cross Country Showcase at Island Pine Golf Course in Atwater. (Photo by Kyle McAreavy)

ATWATER — Macy Hanson earned the 25th and final all-state spot in the small school races with a time of 20:51.6 during her 5K race to pace the Fairmont Running Club at the inaugural TC Running Company Cross Country Showcase on Saturday.

Hanson led the Fairmont girls cross country club around Island Pine Golf Course in Atwater after junior Laura Thompson — the high school program’s No. 1 regular-season runner — had to pull out of the race due to injury.

Fairmont head cross country coach Bob Bonk said he expects Thompson will be fine and her injury is somewhat common for high-level runners.

“Almost every elite runner goes through that, hopefully just once in their life,” Bonk said. “But it’s a really tough way to end a season, that’s the part I feel worst about for her. She’s an incredibly team-oriented person, that’s all she was worried about was letting the team down.

“Sometimes you maybe just go beyond what you should, sometimes it can be nerves, sometimes it can be a physical issue. I don’t think she was going too fast or pushing too hard based on where Macy (Hanson) and the Belle Plaine girl were. … Her first comment was ‘I’m sorry I let the team down,’ it’s just a tough way to end.”

The Cardinals finished last among 10 small-school girls teams, scoring 175 points. Luverne Cross Country Club took the girls crown with 45 points on Saturday.

Fairmont senior co-captain Tabitha Thatcher said the conditions on the course were not idea as the runners had to face a strong wind and traverse a course they didn’t get to check out before the competition, like they would in most races.

“Overall, every team’s times were slower than normal due to the wind and cold,” Thatcher said. “We had some complications during the race, but I truly believe everyone gave it their all, and Macy Hanson ended up getting 25th, which is all-state and we are all so proud of her.”

While Hanson placed 25th overall, she finished second overall in the Fairmont Running Club’s three-team heat race against the Belle Plaine Cross Country Club and Minnehaha Academy Cross Country Club.

“It was a very different meet from normal (Minnesota State High School League-sanctioned) state,” Thatcher said. ” … but I think we have gotten used to showing up and giving it our all even with fewer competitors, since we have only been able to race against a few teams this entire season. It felt strange to be racing again since we haven’t had a meet in a month, but we are all so grateful to have been able to compete one last time.”

Thatcher ended fifth for the Fairmont runners, 15th in their race and 68th overall with a time of 23:01. She followed a close group of Fairmont runners after senior co-captain Hannah Neusch finished second for Fairmont, 10th in the running club’s race and 59th overall in 22:11.

Neusch said she agreed the atmosphere was incredibly different from her previous experiences at the state meet.

“Instead of going up the night before and having the excitement building up, we spent the past 30 days training by ourselves,” Neusch said. “We only competed against two other teams, so that was a lot less nerve-wracking. However, the race itself was confusing because we were not given the chance to be on the course before.”

Junior Eleanor Hamlet finished close behind Neusch in 22:25.1 for 62nd overall, while eighth-grader Carys Gudahl finished just seven-tenths of a second behind in 22:25.8 for 63rd for Fairmont. Emma Gudahl was the final Fairmont runner to hit the chute, taking 87th in 24:39.1.

“For Macy, that was probably one of her strongest races of the year. Hannah ran really well today, too,” Bonk said. “It’s not what we wanted team-wise, but the fact we were able to be part of this was a good way to end the year. I’m glad we were able to do this.”

Earlier in the day, Martin County West/Martin Luther’s Jake Lewis ended his high school cross country career by earning an all-state spot with his 17th-place finish in 17:10.3.

TCRC CC Showcase Results

Small School Girls Team Results: 1. Luverne XC Club 45; 2. Cotter XC Club 99; 3. Glencoe-Silver Lake XC Club 129; 4. Minnehaha Academy XC Club 130; 5. Hawley XC Club 143; 6. Pequot Lakes XC Club 149; 7. Belle Plaine XC Club 165; 8. Nova Classic XC Club 166; 9. Canby/Minneota XC Club 170; 10. Fairmont Running Club 175.

Individual Results (Top 25 All-State): 1. Jade Rypkema (Nevis) 18:57.4; 2. Tenley Nelson (Luverne) 19:16.9; 3. Grace Drietz (Canby/Minneota) 19:17.8; 4. Jenna DeBates (Luverne) 19:22.7; 5. Amanda Overgaauw (Murray County Central) 19:34.8; 6. Addison Hoof (Lester Prairie) 19:35.7; 7. Jacey Majerus (Lake City) 19:36; 8. Madison LeSage (Howard Lake) 19:37.3; 9. Calia Chaney (Pequot Lakes) 19:52.9; 10. Caroline Kuehne (Long Prairie) 19:54.2; 11. Anjalie Aho (United North Central) 20:05.1; 12. Peyton Meincke (Lake City) 20:08.6; 13. Clare Fischer (Sleepy Eye) 20:21; 14. Keegan McAuliffe (Duluth/Marshall) 20:21.3; 15. Sonja Semling (Cotter) 20:21.3; 16. Lydia Floden (East Grand Forks) 20:24.2; 17. Greta Hansen (Math & Science Academy) 20:25.3; 18. Kira Sweeney (Wadena-Deer Creek) 20:29.1; 19. Anna Peikert (Rochester Lourdes) 20:33.3; 20. Lily Olson (Hawley) 20:37.8; 21. Claire Ebertowski (Cotter) 20:38.6; 22. Malayh Metcalf (Glencoe-Silver Lake) 20:39; 24. Carly Chaney (Pequot Lakes) 20:46.6; 25. Macy Hanson (Fairmont) 20:51.6.

Other Fairmont Results: 59. Hannah Neusch 22:11; 62. Eleanor Hamlet 22:25.8; 63. Carys Gudahl 22:29.8; 68. Tabitha Thatcher 23:01; 87. Emma Gudahl; Laura Thompson, left due to injury.

Small School Boys Team Results: 1. Nova Classic XC Club 78; 2. Greenway/Nashwauk-Keewatin XC Club 91; 3. Minnehaha Academy XC Club 114; 4. Lake City XC Club 132; 5. Lac qui Parle Valley/Dawson-Boyd 134; 6. Pequot Lakes XC Club 142; 7. Rochester Lourdes XC Club 175; 8. Redwood Valley XC Club 190; 9. East Grand Forks XC Club 194; 10. St. James XC Club 225; 11. Mt. Lake Area-Comfrey XC Club 251; 12. Belle Plaine XC Club 276; 13. Glencoe-Silver Lake XC Club 285.

Individual Results (Top 25 All-State): 1. Emmet Anderson (Staples-Motley) 16:02.2; 2. Geno Uhrbom (Greenway/Nashwauk-Keewatin) 16:24.9; 3. Alden Keller (Breck) 16:26.6; 4. Jakob McCleary (Perham) 16:33.6; 5. Shef West (Blake) 16:37.2; 6. Henry Long (Eagle Ridge) 16:40; 7. Salvador Wirth (Annandale) 16:44.2; 8. Kevin Turlington (Rochester Lourdes) 16:45.2; 9. Finn McCormick (Nova) 16:47; 10. Luke Bothun (Schaeffer) 16:48.9; 11. Reese Anderson (Lake City) 16:48.9; 12. Tyson Mahar (East Grand Forks) 16:50.2; 13. Emmett Gerres (Belle Plaine) 16:51.3; 14. Henry Karelitz (Nova) 16:55.9; 15. Jayson Peyerl (Redwood Valley) 17:00.3; 16. Caleb Rivera (St. James) 17:03.7; 17. Jake Lewis (Martin County West/Martin Luther) 17:10.3; 18. Isak Nightingale (Mounds Park) 17:13.8; 19. Joe Kozlowski (Lake City) 17:15.7; 20. Ethan Johnson (Pequot Lakes) 17:18.9; 21. Zeke Sather (Lac qui Parle) 17:21.3; 22. Darius Fenske (Lac qui Parle) 17:25.4; 23. Luke Swanson (Northwest Nighthawks) 17:27.5; 24. Jonathan Krueger (East Grand Forks) 17:28.7; 25. Harris Gulbransen (Breck) 17:32.6.