Local Sports | Zeke Fuhrman

By Zeke Fuhrman |

Alexandria XC Sweeps ROCORI Invite in Cold Spring

Quinnhills alexandriaxc rocoriinvite
Senior Quinn Hills of Alexandria crosses the finish line in second place at the ROROCI Invite in Cold Spring on September 18, 2025 (Photo and results courtesy of Hero’s Timing)

COLD SPRING, Minn (KWAD) – The Rocori Cross Country Invitational turned into a statement meet for the Alexandria Cardinals Cross Country teams as the program swept both the boys and girls races at the 8AA preview.

Alexandria’s girls were locked in from the gun and powered to the team title with 39 points, using a remarkably tight pack to turn back Little Falls (63) and Willmar (73). Senior Quinn Hills set the tone, finishing 2nd in 19:47.3, less than 30 seconds behind overall winner Gabby Martinez of Willmar (19:25.9). Emma Bassen finished 6th – 20:21.5, Johanna Kjolhaug was 8th – 20:30.4, Izzy Nei placed 11th – 20:42.2, and Anna Korynta 12th – 20:47.5. Senior Ainsleigh Lehmann (21:22.5) added a key 20th-place displacement point to seal the victory.

Perham, meanwhile, finished in 7th place (174 points) as top runners rested in preparation for the Roy Griak Invitational at the University of Minnesota this weekend. But the meet gave the future of Yellowjacket cross country a chance to shine: freshman Kennedy Detloff led the Yellowjackets in 26th at 21:54.1, followed by Aurora Schumacher (32nd, 22:25.2) and Haven Fjosne (36th, 22:36.7). Juniors Sarah Wagenman (44th, 23:45.9) and Hadley Phillips (45th, 23:47.1) completed the scoring five, with senior Taylor Toedter (50th) and Jillian Bain (61st) providing depth.

On the boys side, Alexandria boys looked every bit the powerhouse, winning the team championship with 40 points and five finishers inside the top 16: Jakin Miller finished 4th – 17:12.3, Tyler Jahner was 5th – 17:13.8, Kyle Jahner placed 7th – 17:17.1, Matty Soderholm finished 9th – 17:31.4, and Carson Bumgarner placed 15th – 18:08.9.  Freshman Cohen Lussenden (18:10.9) and junior Donovan Rousu (18:11.7) provided insurance in 16th and 17th.

The Perham boys, also preparing for the Griak Race on Saturday, packed well to place 4th with 147 points. Senior Kiethen Anderson cracked the top 20 in 21st place (18:28.1) and was followed closely by a tight scoring group: Zeke Morris was 30th – 19:01.2, Noah Schultz finished 35th – 19:05.3, Jack Hennagir placed 36th – 19:07.7, and Reed Struchen was 39th – 19:16.9. Seniors Noah Brasel (44th) and Nathan Rustad (46th) rounded out the top seven for the Yellowjackets.

Connor Malecka of Detroit Lakes won the race with a time of 16:27.6.

Up next for high school cross country: the Roy Griak Invitational at the Les Bolstad Golf Course at the University of Minnesota. Most of the top runners and programs in the state will run this weekend to get a feel for the course where the State cross country meet will be held on November 1st. Area teams running this weekend include Bemidji, Brainerd, Fergus Falls, Hawley, Minnewaska Area, Ottertail Central, Pequot Lakes, Perham, Staples-Motley, and Wadena-Deer Creek.

Rocori Invite — Girls Varsity Top 10

Place Runner Team Time
1 Gabby Martinez Willmar 19:25.9
2 Quinn Hills Alexandria 19:47.3
3 Kiera Wiertzema Breckenridge/Wahpeton 20:16.3
4 Allison Mages Willmar 20:16.7
5 Trinity Hadler Albany 20:20.3
6 Emma Bassen Alexandria 20:21.5
7 Izzy Kraemer Rocori 20:23.5
8 Johanna Kjolhaug Alexandria 20:30.4
9 Malin Youngberg Little Falls 20:31.9
10 Haddlie Dobis Little Falls 20:37.8

Team Scores (Girls)

  1. Alexandria 39

  2. Little Falls 63

  3. Willmar 73

  4. Rocori 102

  5. Breckenridge/Wahpeton 122

  6. Albany 149

  7. Perham 174

  8. Thief River Falls 218

  9. Big Lake 234

  10. Sauk Rapids-Rice 249

  11. Foley 312

Rocori Invite — Boys Varsity Top 10

Place Runner Team Time
1 Connor Malecka Detroit Lakes 16:27.6
2 Curtis Griffin Thief River Falls 16:47.7
3 Zach Engstrom Willmar 16:53.3
4 Jakin Miller Alexandria 17:12.3
5 Tyler Jahner Alexandria 17:13.8
6 Jack Skanson Rocori 17:16.4
7 Kyle Jahner Alexandria 17:17.1
8 Trent Erickson Big Lake 17:18.8
9 Matty Soderholm Alexandria 17:31.4
10 Levi Twedt Willmar 17:41.1

Team Scores (Boys)

  1. Alexandria 40

  2. Big Lake 94

  3. Willmar 103

  4. Perham 147

  5. Detroit Lakes 167

  6. Albany 170

  7. Rocori 174

  8. Thief River Falls 182

  9. Little Falls 238

  10. Princeton 253

  11. Foley 265

  12. Breckenridge/Wahpeton 292

  13. Fergus Falls 298

  14. Sauk Rapids-Rice 393

  15. St. Cloud Tech 415

FULL MEET RESULTS HERE