Minnewaska edged out Paynesville's girls by one point at the Long Prairie meet last Monday, Sept. 13. The Bulldogs placed third, with Sauk Centre winning the meet by 14 points.Jen Hess was the meet champion. Her time was 15:37. Danielle Lieser entered the chute next in 10th place. Erin Aagesen placed 12th, and Tiffany Rausch 13th. Hess, Lieser, Aagesen, and Rausch all received medals for their performances.
Carin Frenchick crossed the finish line next in 19th place. Mesa Frenchick followed her in 21st, and Jen Berg placed 35th in her first varsity race.
The race took place in cool but calm weather. When the bus arrived at the meet, it appeared as though the team would have to run in a mixture of cold, rain, and wind. By the time the races were under way, however, the sky had cleared and the conditions were much improved. The results were favorable.
"We are slowly progressing to where we should be at," said coach Darrel Carstens of the team's performance. "Each meet we move up a little more."
Assistant coach Rick Houske agreed, "We have had a lot of strong races individually. Now the trick will be to get everyone to do it at the same time. This will be important as we move on to the end of the season's meets."
Carin Frenchick (right) and Tiff Rausch (left) run in a pack at a meet.
Junior Varsity and Junior High
Kim Hess ran an excellent race for the junior varsity. She placed first with her time of 17:44. Mellody Veldcamp placed eighth in the same race. Her time was 21:17. Trisha Wendlandt placed seventh in the junior high race with a time of 20:53.
Individual results
New London-Spicer
Her finish led the Dogs to their fifth place finish as a team.
Seventh grader Kim Hess, Jen's sister, placed second for the varsity team in 16:24. She came in 14th overall in her varsity debut. Both earned medals for their runs.
Finishing in a pack were Danielle Lieser (38), Erin Aagesen (43), and Carin Frenchick (44). "It really helps to run with a teammate," stated Frenchick. "When you run with someone in practice every day, you feel confident running with them when you get into a meet situation. We try to encourage each other as much as we can."
Also running together were Tiff Rausch and Mesa Frenchick. Rausch placed 54th, while Frenchick finished 56th. Mesa commented on the 70-degree weather, saying, "It was a perfect day to run."
Junior Varsity and Junior High
Varsity team standings
Individual Results
1. Sauk Centre - 30
2. Minnewaska - 54
3. Paynesville - 55
4. LPGE - 110
5. BBE - 153
6. Pierz - Inc.
1. Jen Hess - 15:37
10. Danielle Lieser - 17:53
12. Erin Aagesen - 18:19
13. Tiffany Rausch - 18:26
19. Carin Frenchick - 19:01
21. Mesa Frenchick - 19:05
35. Jenny Berg - 21:05
Jen Hess won her fourth straight title of the season at New London-Spicer on Thursday, Sept. 16. Although Hess remains unrated in state rankings, she defeated three of the top six rated girls in the state for Class A competition at this meet. Hess's time of 15:10 put her nearly 20 seconds ahead of her nearest competitor, and left her record this season unsoiled.
Mellody Veldcamp had a time of 20:12 for junior varsity. Behind her was Jenny Berg. Heather Christensen placed fifth in 19:45 and Trisha Wendlandt took 15th place amid junior high competition. Wendlandt clocked in at 20:25.
1. Morris - 58
2. Wadena-Deer Creek - 100
3. Cathedral -127
4. Perham - 128
5. Paynesville - 140
6. Staples-Motley - 153
7. Minnewaska - 168
8. Annandale - 206
9. Crosby-Ironton - 225
10. Willmar - 232
11. NLS - 250
12. Redwood Valley - 257
13. LPGE -350
14. St. John's Prep - Inc.
1. Jen Hess - 15:10
14. Kim Hess - 16:24
38. Danielle Lieser - 17:29
43. Erin Aagesen - 17:40
44. Carin Frenchick -17:46
54. Tiffany Rausch - 18:11
56. Mesa Frenchick - 18:17