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Although the warm weather may have tired some team members, the remainder of the team performed well. The Bulldogs placed third behind St. Cloud Cathedral, a section rival, and Big Lake.

The Bulldogs will try to earn another trip to the state tournament later this month at the Section 5A meet.

Seventh grader Brittni Schmitz - beating an opposing runner in a sprint to the finish - placed 12th in the meet last week at Becker. Schmitz has emerged as the third runner on the girls' varsity team this fall.

Eighth grader Kacy Nehowig ran very well again, coming in second, falling short of Rachel Stangler of Albany, an all-state runner this year who is ranked in state, as is Nehowig.

Ninth grader Brooke Schmitz was the next to finish for the Bulldogs. She experienced extreme breathing problems during her race due to asthma or allergies. At one point in the race, she even collapsed due to a lack of airflow. She was still able to get back up and place sixth.

"It really breaks my heart when I can't keep up with my running buddy (Nehowig)," said Schmitz, who even ran with Nehowig in the offseason to get in shape for the cross country season.

Seventh grader Brittni Schmitz has proven herself a strong third runner for the girls' team. At Becker, she placed 12th overall.

Next for the Bulldogs were eighth grader Tanis Beireis and seventh grader Kaitlyn Frenchick in 29th and 33rd respectively. Coach Darrel Carstens feels that these girls are key to the success of the team.

Unfortunately, eighth grader Krista Wendroth and seventh grader Melanie Koerner, a varsity newcomer, were unable to finish the race. "I just couldn't finish the race. I felt too terrible," said Wendroth.

In Koerner's case, she tripped over another runner, fell, and twisted her ankle, which forced her to drop from the race.

Once again, senior Nicole Flint did not run in the race. This was the last race that she will be sitting out, as she is planning to run the rest of the year.

The Bulldogs ran again on Tuesday at the West Central Conference meet at the hilly course in Long Prairie. They will compete next at the subsection meet on Tuesday, Oct. 15, at Albany.

Team Scores
1. Cathedral 59
2. Big Lake 73
3. Paynesville 81
4. Crosby-Ironton 85
5. Becker 166
6. Pine City 167
7. Pierz 167
8. EV-W/Kimball 190
9. North Branch 234
10. Delano 251

Individual Results
2. Kacy Nehowig 15:26
6. Brooke Schmitz 16:06
12. Brittni Schmitz 16:42
28. Tanis Beireis 17:44
33. Kaitlyn Frenchick 18:07
Melanie Koerner DNF
Krista Wendroth DNF