FALCON HIGHTS, Minn (KWAD) — The 2025 High School Cross Country season wrapped up with a chilly meet at the Les Bolstad Golf Course on the campus of the University of Minnesota on Saturday morning. Nearly 1,000 runners crossed the finish line across three races by the end of the day, starting with the Class A races at 10:00 and 10:45.

Bertha-Hewitt placed sixth in the boys’ race while Wadena-Deer Creek’s boys, back at state for the first time since 1993, finished 10th with one of the meet’s tightest scoring packs. Park Rapids made it five straight state appearances and placed 15th.

In the girls race, Staples-Motley senior Audrey Brownell nearly defended her 2024 title in the girls’ race, finishing runner-up in 18:14.6, while Barnesville (5th) United North Central (8th) and Wadena-Deer Creek (11th) earned top-half team finishes.

For the Bertha-Hewitt boys, the finish line looked like a confirmation of everything they’d built the last four seasons: senior Brady Rach charged to eighth place in 16:08.1, anchoring a sixth-place team total of 171. He had help everywhere. Nolan Rach (16:52.9), Gunnar Barthel (16:55.1), Henry Lockwood (17:27.3) and Vance Lockwood (17:54.3) made it five scorers inside 18 minutes, good for a top-five spread of 1:46 and a team time of 1:25:17.

The Wadena-Deer Creek boys looked like a team that had never left state, not one returning after 32 years. Their five scorers finished within 27 seconds of each other—Grant Nelson (17:08.1), Brennan Simmons (17:24.6), Lane Kaufman (17:28.1), Owen Anderson (17:29.7) and Noah Stroeing (17:35.1)—for 240 points and 10th place. Park Rapids Area notched 15th with 317 points and a team time of 1:29:02. Junior Jack Mitteness set the tone early and held it, placing 36th in 16:47.4 after a 5:09 opening mile. Seniors Tyler Huot (17:34.8) and Christian Thorson (17:44.1) kept the Panthers inside the top-100, while Cesar Quixan Gutierrez (18:25.8) and Parker Larson (18:30.8) closed the scoring.

A handful of local individuals added exclamation points. Sauk Centre’s Logan Wiehoff surged to fifth in 15:59.6, cracking the 16-minute barrier. Ottertail Central’s Peter Newark, 25th a year ago, moved to 18th (16:32.8) with his best race of the season. United North Central senior Drew Aho finished 48th (16:59.8).

The Class A girls race gave the crowd a heavyweight duel at the front. Staples-Motley’s Audrey Brownell, the reigning state champion, pressed the pace into the final mile before St. John’s Prep junior Margaret Duffy created separation and won in 17:55.5. Brownell, steady and composed, crossed in 18:14.6…three seconds faster than last year’s championship time. Her splits—6:05 at the mile, 12:18 through two—were the product of years of championship execution, a perfect final chapter for one of Minnesota’s best.

Other individual finishers include Bertha-Hewitt duo Kendra Miller in 26th place (19:35.2) and Miette Hansel in 60th (20:20.7), Minnewaska’s Nori Song was 44th (19:58.), and Park Rapids’ Greta Galzki finished 51st (20:07.7)

Team-wise, the afternoon belonged to 6A champion New London–Spicer, which edged St. Cloud Cathedral at 97-97 on the tiebreak after the Wildcats landed two in the top-15 and their fifth at 34th.

The United North Central girls placed eighth on 207 points, a one-spot bump from last year that reflected veteran leadership and a lineup that got better as the race deepened. Senior Macie Josephson was 12th in 19:09.2, staying attached to the front through two miles; Anaya Aho closed in 19:43.3 for 35th. Eva Lehto (20:52.4), Elsa Komppa (21:27.1) and Miley Westberg (21:59.0) completed the scoring five, good for a 1:43:11 team time.

The Wadena-Deer Creek girls finished 11th with 231 points, their third state appearance in four seasons. Junior Karly Haverkamp (20:26.2) was the first Wolverine to cross the finish line, followed by Lydia Oldakowski (20:51.8), Brielle Kern (21:04.5), Cody Seelhammer (21:07.4) and Cambrie Geiger (21:12.9)—that posted a 46-second spread and a team time of 1:44:42.

8A champion Barnesville authored one of the day’s most complete efforts, placing fifth at 176 points and clocking 1:42:58 for its five scorers. Eighth-grader Cassidy Rotz led in 19:50.9, and the Trojans stacked four more within 1:12 in a great showing by one of the youngest championship-calibur teams in the state that boasts two freshman and a roster full of seventh and eighth graders. It won’t be the last time we see Barnesville at the State tournament in the coming years.

MSHSL Class A State Cross Country Championship

FULL RESULTS HERE

Boys — Final Team Scores

Top 20 Finishers — Boys 5K (Top 20 finishers are All-State)

Team Finishers — Boys

Bertha-Hewitt

Wadena-Deer Creek

Park Rapids Area

Girls — Final Team Scores

Top 20 Finishers — Girls 5K (Top 20 finishers are All-State)

Team Finishers — Girls

Barnesville

United North Central

Wadena-Deer Creek