ROCHESTER — Another high school cross country season is upon us.
Once again, there are many talented local runners, with not enough spots for all of them on this specific list. Here are a dozen of the top girls cross country runners (in no particular order) to watch in southeastern Minnesota this season.
After not participating in the final half of her eighth-grade year due to a bout with performance anxiety, Tri was impressive in her freshman campaign last season. She placed second at the prestigious Mayo Invitational early in the season and it turned out to be a sign of things to come. She ran a personal-best 18 minutes, 17.8 seconds to win the Ev Berg Invitational and carried that momentum forward, finishing first at the Rochester All-City Championships, the Big Nine Conference Championships and the Section 1, Class 3A Championships. She then placed in the top half at the Class 3A state meet, finishing 64th.
Winona Cotter junior Sonja Semling crosses the finish line of the MSHSL Class A girls cross country championship on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023, at Les Bolstad Golf Course in Falcon Heights.
Alex VandenHouten / Post Bulletin file photo
Finally a senior, Semling has led the Ramblers for half a decade now. She saw her two-year reign over Section 1, Class 1A end after a scary situation in which she collapsed just short of the finish line at last year’s section meet. She had won the individual title as a freshman and sophomore. Still, with the Ramblers winning the team title at the section meet, Semling took part in another Class 1A state meet last fall, earning her third consecutive All-State honors with a ninth-place finish. Semling enters the season ranked fourth individually by the Minnesota State High School Coaches Association (MSHSCA). She and fellow senior Hazel Freyre are a big reason the Ramblers enter the year ranked third as a team.
Red Wing’s Nora Hanson crosses the finish line of the Mayo Invitational in fourth place on Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023, at Eastwood Golf Course.
Alex VandenHouten / Post Bulletin file photo
The junior delivered another top-30 finish at the Class 2A state championships last season. It came right after she captured her second consecutive Section 1-2A individual title. Overall, it was another stellar season for Hanson as outside of the state meet, she finished 11th or better in every other race. John Marshall’s Abi Tri narrowly edged Hanson to keep her from defending her Big Nine Conference title, and those two should battle it out again this year.
Lexi Kivimagi (142), of Chatfield, and Anna Peikert (464), of Lourdes, battle for the lead as they head towards the finish line during the Section 1A boys and girls cross country championships on Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023, at the Northern Hills Golf Course in Rochester.
Maya Giron / Post Bulletin file photo
Now a senior, Peikert became a three-time state qualifier as a junior last year. She had her best finish as well, securing her third consecutive top-50 finish, placing 39th. This came after she placed fourth at the Section 1-1A meet, helping Lourdes claim its first title since 2008. She also won the Hiawatha Valley League title after holding off Lake City’s Olivia Yotter by two-tenths of a second. She’s one of several talented Eagles returning, joining sophomore Olivia Timbers and eighth-grader Allison Deutsch, for a squad that is currently ranked eighth by the MNCCCA.
Century’s Sophia Comfere crosses the finish line of the MSHSL Class 3A girls cross country state championship on Thursday, Nov. 4, 2023, at Les Bolstad Golf Course in Falcon Heights.
Alex VandenHouten / Post Bulletin file photo
Comfere certainly had a great junior season in a number of ways. With a third-place finish, she impressed at the Section 1-3A championships and kept that momentum going in her first Class 3A state meet, where she placed 32nd out of nearly 160 runners. She turned that into a terrific track and field season, coming home with three state medals. She placed fifth in the 400 meters and was also a part of the 4×200 and 4×400 relay teams that each placed seventh. With Sophia Trabuco, Jazzlyn Hanenberger and freshman Stella Zoller to go with Comfere, the Panthers have plenty of talent this year to make something special happen.
Chatfield’s Lexi Kivimagi nears the finish line during the boys and girls Section 1A Cross Country Championships on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022, at Northern Hills Golf Course in Rochester.
Post Bulletin file photo
Still just a sophomore, Kivimagi is already a three-time state qualifier and added a Section 1-1A title to her already impressive resume last year when she ran a personal-best 19:43.4 to win against a stacked field. She then turned that into a 31st place finish at state — her best placement in a state meet and second consecutive top-40 finish.
Lake City’s Olivia Yotter nears the finish line during the boys and girls Section 1A Cross Country Championships on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022, at Northern Hills Golf Course in Rochester.
Post Bulletin file photo
Yotter is another talented sophomore who is no stranger to the state meet. The Lake City standout earned Class 1A All-State honors for the second consecutive season with a 15th-place finish at the state meet a year ago. She’s gunning to not only improve on those finishes but to capture a section title, as well. She has finished in the top three the last three seasons and is ranked eighth in Class 1A entering the year. Yotter and classmate Eden Olson should provide plenty of excitement this season for legendary coach Howie Cook and the Tigers.
Lanesboro/Fillmore Central eighth-grader Autumn Rakosnik competes during the MSHSL Class A girls cross country championship on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023, at Les Bolstad Golf Course in Falcon Heights.
Alex VandenHouten / Post Bulletin file photo
Autumn Rakosnik, Lanesboro/Fillmore Central
Known for her work on the ice, Rakosnik burst onto the cross country scene in 2023. She won both the Pine Island and Lewiston-Altura/Rushford-Peteron invitationals, before placing second at the Section 1-1A championships to clinch a spot at state as just an eighth-grader. In her first state meet, she more than held her own, placing 28th.
As an eighth-grader, Brewer was a model of consistency for the Spartans. She had stellar efforts at the Rochester All-City, Big Nine Conference and the Section 1-3A Championships. She put herself on the map with a fifth-place finish at the All-City with a personal-best time of 20:13.9. If she can consistently get under 20 minutes this year, don’t be surprised to see her improve on a 24th-place finish at sections.
As a junior, Shute became a three-time state qualifier a year ago, running to her best finish with a 32nd-place effort at the Class 2A meet. She won the Lake City and Austin invitationals, before earning her third consecutive trip to state with a sixth-place finish at the Section 1-2A meet. Shute and sophomore Sydney Lewis give the Packers a great 1-2 combo.
Stewartville’s Luella Jeche, left, and Austin’s Cassidy Shute run in the Mayo Invitational cross country meet varsity girls race Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022, at Eastwood Golf Course in Rochester.
Joe Ahlquist / Post Bulletin file photo
Luella Jeche, Stewartville
Having ran with the varsity squad since she was an eighth-grader in 2021, Jeche broke through with her first state appearance a year ago, placing 91st at the Class 2A state meet. With a second straight 12th-place finish at sections, Jeche has now finished in the top 20 of each section meet the last three years. Her times steadily improved throughout the season, leading to a 19:46.1 time at the NXR Heartland Regional Championships in Sioux Falls, S.D.
As a freshman, O’Connor just missed out on being a state-qualifier. She placed 10th, finishing 13 seconds shy of that state berth. She placed 15th at sections as an eighth-grader. She ran a personal-best 20:11.4 to finish third at the Hayfield Invitational and won titles at both the Cannon Falls and Goodhue invitationals.
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Publish date : 2024-08-24 00:34:00
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