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GNK, Brainerd qualify boys and girls cross-country teams to state

KAXE | By Megan Buffington
Published November 2, 2026 at 5:03 PM CST
The Brainerd boys and girls cross country teams qualified for the 2026 state meet.
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Brainerd High School
The Brainerd boys and girls cross country teams qualified for the 2026 state meet.

The Hibbing, Park Rapids and Wadena Deer-Creek boys teams and the Crosby-Ironton and Hermantown girls teams also qualified, along with over 30 more student-athletes from across the Northland.

Northland runners will head to Ham Lake for the state cross-country meet Saturday, Nov. 7.

Greenway/Nashwauk-Keewatin again qualified both its boys and girls teams, as did Brainerd.

Also racing will be the Hibbing, Park Rapids and Wadena Deer-Creek boys teams and the Crosby-Ironton and Hermantown girls teams, along with over 30 individual qualifiers from across the Northland.

Detroit Lakes' junior Connor Malecka, who finished seventh last year in Class 2A, will return to the state meet. He's on pace to medal again this year.

Based on their section qualifying times and last year's times, several Northland runners could also come home with some hardware: Park Rapids senior Christian Thorson and junior Jack Mitteness, Riverside Christian freshman Emelia Arntson, Fertile-Beltrami freshman Kaylee Nelson, Cloquet senior Evan Rothamel, Hermantown eighth grader Nora Lucarelli and Brainerd senior Jonathan Cowell.

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Local News High School Sports and ActivitiesAda-Borup-West SchoolsBemidji Area SchoolsBrainerd School DistrictCarltonCloquet School DistrictCromwell-Wright School DistrictCrosby-Ironton School DistrictDetroit Lakes Public SchoolsEsko School DistrictFertile-Beltrami School DistrictFrazeeGrand Rapids School DistrictGreenway High SchoolNashwauk-Keewatin School DistrictHermantown School DistrictHibbing School DistrictBaudette MNMcGregorAitkinMesabi EastNevis School DistrictCook CountyTwo HarborsPark RapidsEast Grand ForksRock Ridge Public SchoolsSt. Louis County SchoolsThief River Falls MNWadena-Deer Creek School DistrictWarroad School DistrictNorthwest MinnesotaArrowheadNorth-Central MinnesotaKAXE
Megan Buffington
Megan Buffington covers North-Central Minnesota from the Brainerd lakes area. Originally from Pequot Lakes, she joined the KAXE newsroom in 2024. Megan previously covered the Arrowhead for KAXE. She is passionate about amplifying Northern Minnesota voices and educating communities through local reporting.
See stories by Megan Buffington
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