GNK, WDC qualify boys and girls teams to state cross country meet

Scores of Northland athletes will race in the state cross country meet Saturday, Nov. 1.

Greenway/Nashwauk-Keewatin and Wadena-Deer Creek qualified both their boys and girls teams at section meets last week.

It will be the GNK boys’ 10th straight appearance and the girls’ second after they qualified for the first time last season.

The WDC boys have not made it to state as a team since 1993.

The Park Rapids Area boys will be making their fifth-straight state appearance, the United North Central girls their third and the Cloquet boys will also be making their second.

The Bemidji boys, Hibbing boys, Crosby-Ironton girls, Hermantown girls and North Shore (Cook County and Two Harbors) boys also qualified.

Also returning to state is last year’s Class A champion, Staples-Motley senior Audrey Brownell.

Brownell (6A) is one of six section champions from Northern Minnesota. Chisholm sophomore Olivia Pascuzzi won Section 7A and finished seventh at state last season.

Other section champs are Grand Rapids senior Brenden Sylvester (7AA), Carlton-Wrenshall sophomore Anders Erickson (7A), United North Central senior Macie Josephson (8A) and Detroit Lakes sophomore Connor Malecka (8AA).

All six also qualified for state in 2024.

The top two teams from each section and top six individuals who are not members of the top two teams qualify for state.

Teams earn points based on their first five runners' rank (1 point for first, 2 for second, etc.), and the lowest score wins. Teams can have up to seven runners, with the sixth and seventh runners having the potential to displace other athletes, lowering opposing teams' scores.

If schools have fewer than five runners finish, their places are displaced, and the next runners are bumped up in team scoring.

In total, 37 individual Northland athletes and 12 teams will race at the University of Minnesota’s Les Bolstad Golf Course on Saturday.

Class A boys will kick off the meet with their race at 10 a.m., followed by Class A girls at 10:45 a.m. and awards at 11:15 a.m. The other two classes will have the same scheduling format, with 2A starting at 12:15 p.m. and 3A at 2:30 p.m.

Ticket gates open at 9:45 a.m. Tickets can also be purchased on the Minnesota State High School League's website. The meet will be streamed on NSPN from four locations on the course at NSPN; a subscription is required.

More visitor details are available in the MSHSL’s spectator guide.