File Photo By Jake McNeill: Fairmont senior Cooper Gudahl celebrates after crossing the finish line to qualify for the state meet as an individual at the Section 2AA boys cross country championships at Benson Park in North Mankato on Thursday, Oct. 23.

ST. PAUL – Cooper Gudahl likes to present himself as a confident individual no matter the situation.

However, in the waning moments leading up to last Thursday’s Section 2AA Cross-Country Championships, the Fairmont senior’s poised demeanor was merely a front for his pre-race jitters.

Gudahl knew, entering the competition, that he had a legitimate chance of clinching an individual spot in this Saturday’s Class AA Cross-Country State Championship for what would be the first time during his tenure with the Cardinals. Qualifications were handed out to the top six runners who weren’t already a part of a state qualifying team. Gudahl had to be one of the top individual finishers among all runners outside Belle Plaine and Mankato East, the two top schools in Section 2AA.

“The whole race, I was just counting, seeing how many people I needed to beat to get to that opportunity to race [at state],” Gudahl said.

Slowly but surely, as the finish line drew closer to his line of sight, Gudahl and Fairmont High School Cross Country head coach Andrew Moeller knew the dream of a trip to state was all but confirmed.

He finished the 5,000-meter race with a personal-best time of 16:52.8, placing eighth out of 76 other athletes, and extended his high school cross-country career by one more race.

“The way that he looked and the energy he was giving off around the halfway [mark], I kind of figured he had it,” Moeller said. “Just keeping that momentum and keeping that excitement was the key there.”

The state meet will take place at the University of Minnesota Golf Course in St. Paul. The Class AA boys competition is scheduled to begin around 12:45 p.m.

The journey to get here wasn’t always smooth sailing. Gudahl had to fight through hard work and some tough losses to get to the point where he is today, an athlete who knows he is willing to put in the extra mile to outgain his competition.

During his junior year campaign, Gudahl was placed into another similar situation, a chance to qualify for state after spending the entire season as one of the better runners in the section. While a 29th-place finish in the 2024 2AA Cross-Country Championships was no laughing matter, Gudahl found himself missing the individual state requirement by 9 spots.

Rather than taking it to heart, Gudahl took it to the race track, putting on more and more mileage to improve not only his overall cardio but also make a push for becoming a better runner as a whole.

From individual summer runs to team events early on Saturday mornings, Gudahl was determined to succeed.

“When we had Saturday practice at 8 a.m., and I would roll out of bed at 7:30 a.m., every bone in my body would just want to go back to sleep,” Gudahl said. “But I knew that if I’m not out there working, then somebody else is.”

As the season progressed, Gudahl began to climb even higher as one of the better runners in the area, stacking together six top 10 finishes to end his regular season of play while slowly chipping away at his 5,000-meter time.

The end of his cross-country career has yet to be determined, but his time wearing the Cardinal uniforms is nearing its end. Now, with a chance to compete once more for the red and white, Gudahl is determined to leave everything he has on Saturday’s course.

“I don’t want to end my high school career thinking I left something out there,” Gudahl said. “So, going into Saturday, I’m going to put myself into a position where I’m going to go a lot harder than I probably should. If I don’t, I’m always going to have that thought in my head about what if I did.”

CHRISTENSON TO REPRESENT MCW/BO

Martin County West/Butterfield-Odin’s Evelynn Christenson will also compete in the Class A state girls race Saturday, which begins at 10:45 a.m. Christenson earned her way to the final state race after her sixth-place finish in the Section 2A Championships, becoming the third individual qualifier with a time of 19:33.64, a personal record.

Christenson has led the Mavericks in almost every race this season. The sophomore has notched eight top-10 finishes this season, including a first-place win at the I-90 Invite on Oct. 2.