Once again, the weather was perfect. This season the runners have been fortunate to have such warm weather all year. In past seasons there has been snow on the ground by this time.
At this meet, the top eight teams in the section ran against each other for the chance to compete at state. Five of these teams are state-rated, meaning that they are the top cross country teams in Minnesota. The Paynesville girls weren't rated in state this year, so they had tough competition at this meet.
Before the gun went off signaling the beginning of the race, the girls wished each other good luck, and received a good luck handshake from coach Darrel Carstens.
Amanda Lieser was the first Bulldog to cross the finish line. She placed 24th. Lieser has been a valuable asset to the team and has been a consistent top runner all year. This is her senior year and sheíll be missed by the Bulldogs.
Erin Aagesen was next in 32nd. Aagesen has also been a top runner for the Bulldogs. Since this is only her freshman year, she will continue to be a good runner to look for in the future. She is also known to have ìthe perfect cheerî to cheer on her team members.
The next group of girls have been running together in the meets all year, helping each other through the race.
Carin Frenchick, a freshman, placed 36th at the meet. Frenchick is a strong runner. She likes to keep one step ahead of her opponent.
Following Frenchick was Tiffany Rausch. She finished 38th. Rausch has improved a great deal since last year and has done well on varsity. She also has a great attitude and motivates the girls to keep going.
Camille Flanders finished 42nd. Flanders ran very well this season. She always has lots of energy and a smile on her face.
Next to finish was Emily Glenz in 47th place. Glenz has been a tough competitor throughout the years and has made the season very enjoyable for all her teammates.
Cindy Lang, who replaced the sick Amber Michaelis, ran very well. She has been a very dependable runner and was one of the areaís top junior varsity runners.
Varsity team standings
1) Wadena-Deer Creek, 51
2) Morris Area, 74
3) Pierz, 77
4) Holdingford, 98
5) Perham, 115
6) New London, 135
7) Pelican Rapids, 154
8) Paynesville, 172
Individual results
24) Amanda Lieser, 16:57
32) Erin Aagesen, 17:27
36) Carin Frenchick, 17:34
38) Tiffany Rausch, 17:40
42) Camille Flanders, 17:50
47) Emily Glenz, 18:20
48) Cindy Lang, 18:37
The girls cross country team had a great year and co-captains Amanda Lieser and Emily Glenz would like to thank all the fans who came and helped cheer on the teams this year.
Most of all, they would like to thank both teams who made this season the best and most memorable. Whether they were ìburrowing,î watching ìSaturday Night Liveî, playing around a leaf pile while chanting ìChick-a-dellaî or watching Sunday night football, it has been a great last season.
Last, the captains would like to thank coaches Carstens, Houske and Ochs. Without them we couldnít have done it (Mental-Mental!). THANKYOU!
Sub sections
On Tuesday, Oct. 15, the cross country teams ventured to Brooten for the sub-section meet.
The girls not only placed fourth to advance, but each individual runner on the team ran a personal best time of the season.
The top four teams and the top ten individuals advanced to section competition.
The battle among the teams to advance to sections was a tough one. Morris took first easily, but second through fifth places were all within a few points of one another.
Varsity team standings
1) Morris, 56
2) Pelican Rapids, 100
3) NL-S, 104
4) Paynesville, 105
5) Sauk Centre, 108
6) Minnewaska, 129
7) Albany, 169
8) Hancock, 170
9) BBE, 220
Amanda Lieser led the girls in 10th. She was the only girl to advance on to sections individually.
Following Lieser was Erin Aagesen. She ran an excellent race and came in 12th.
Next to cross the finish line was Tiffany Rausch. She has improved a lot this year and continues to improve.
Camille Flanders followed Rausch in 28th, and striding in after her was Emily Glenz in 30th.
Coming in sixth and seventh for the team were Carin Frenchick and Amber Michaelis in 32nd and 52nd, respectively.
Individual results
10) Amanda Lieser, 15:41
12) Erin Aagesen, 15:48
25) Tiffany Rausch, 16:35
28) Camille Flanders, 16:40
30) Emily Glenz, 16:43
32) Carin Frenchick, 16:48
52) Amber Michaelis, 18:25
Junior varsity
Unfortunately for the JV runners, this was their last race of the season. They did very well, taking third of seven complete teams.
This group of girls has displayed a lot of talent. Most have improved greatly and shown a lot of surprises!
Kelli Fenske led the JV Bulldogs and captured third place. Fenske has really improved this year and will prove to be a vital runner in the future.
Next in was Melody Veldkamp with eighth place, and one second behind her was Cindy Lang in ninth place. Both these runners have taken a big step forward when it comes to competition. This will definitely be a key aspect when they run future races.
Christina Utsch came in 20th. Utsch has an outstanding attitude when it comes to running, which allowed her to run very consistently this year.
Melinda Norris followed Utsch in 23rd place. Norris is a seventh grader with a lot of potential for even greater races in the future.
Coming in 26th was Missy Winter. Winter has been a tough competitor, running steadily all year. She makes practices enjoyable and fun and is a pleasure to have on the team.
April Willemsen took 24th. Willemsen, along with Andrea Roeser, began her cross country season late, but has improved greatly from meet to meet.
Individual results
3) Kelli Fenske, 17:59
8) Melody Veldkamp, 18:34
9) Cindy Lang, 18:35
20) Christina Utsch, 19:14
23) Melinda Norris, 19:48
24) April Willemsen, 19:58
26) Missy Winter, 20:12