It was already a challenging day for the Wadena-Deer Creek cross country teams when they had to compete on a hilly course at the Long Prairie Country Club. However, when you add warmer than usual temperatures, it made the conditions even tougher.
However, the Wolverines battled the conditions and despite the heat and hills, they had six runners achieve their personal best times during the event.
The Wadena-DC boys team finished 11th overall, out of 22 teams, while the girls team earned a 14th place finish.
West Central Area swept the competition. They finished with 92 points for the boys title, while the girls finished with 60 points, running away with the crown. In the boys field, Holdingford came in second with 130 points, followed by Staples-Motley with 131 points. Benson/K-M-S came in fourth and Paynesville rounded out the top five. The Wolverines finished just outside of the top 10, finishing 11th with 287 points.
Albany was a distant second on the girls side, finishing with 100 points. Staples-Motley was third with 134 points, followed by Paynesville and Crosby-Ironton. The Wolverines finished 14th overall with 350 points.
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Staples-Motley’s Emmet Anderson led the field for the boys. The ninth grader finished with a time of 16 minutes, 47.2 seconds. West Central Area’s Jacob Bright came in second place with a time of 16:53.6.
Noah Ross led the way for the Wolverines. Ross earned his third straight top 10 finish when he crossed the line in sixth place. Ross finished the race with a time of 17:55.1. Sophomore Bereket Loer came across the line with a time of 19:17.3, finishing 51st overall.
Isaac Ries set a new personal record when he finished with a time of 19:37.9. Ries finished 69th overall. Lucas Hinojos was the fourth Wolverine across the line. He came in with a time of 20:00.3.
Jayson Young earned an 82nd place finish when he came across the line with a time of 20:01.7. It was a personal best for Young as it was for Jacopo Della Hatta, who finished in 95th place. He finished with a time of 20:20.3. Tony Kreklau rounded out the varsity seven, finishing with a time of 21:48.2.
The girls race winner was West Central Area’s Lexi Bright. She finished with a winning time of 20:28.5. She was followed by Staples-Motley’s Kira Sweeney in second place, finishing with a time of 20:43.8.
Wadena-DC’s Abby Motschenbacher led the way for the Wolverines. She finished in 28th place overall, crossing the finish line with a time of 23:13.6. She was followed by Samantha Malone, who set a personal record in the event. Malone finished 66th with a time of 24:55.5. Eve Collins finished in 88th place overall, finishing with a time of 26:10.8.
Emma Ries was right on Collins’ heels, finishing in 91st place. Ries crossed in with a time of 26:22.9. Sophie Kreklau earned a time of 26:50.6 for 92nd place. Mackenzie Salge came in with a time of 27:44.5 for 112th place. Tiffany Meeks rounded out the field for Wadena-DC. The senior captain finished with a time of 28:22.6 for 120th place. It was Meeks’ 53rd career race with the Wolverines.
The Wolverines return to the course with the Bagley Invitational on Sept. 19. It gives the Wolverines and opportunity to run on the site of the Section 8A Championships as well.
