MELROSE, Minn. (KWAD)— The Melrose Area Invitational on Tuesday night turned into a showcase for two area programs as Sauk Centre and Bertha-Hewitt runners delivered big performances on the 5K course.
For Bertha-Hewitt, senior Brady Rach led the charge with a 5th-place 17:04.6, pacing a tight front pack that also featured Henry Lockwood (7th, 17:52.0) and Gunnar Barthel (9th, 18:07.1). Senior Jakub Stovicek (41st, 20:45.4) provided the team’s fourth scoring time
Sauk Center junior Logan Wiehoff set the tone for the boys’ race and the Streeters, winning with a new PR 16:06.0 to grab individual gold. Behind him, Zaron Olmschenk (8th, 18:00.5 PR) and Landon Buysse (10th, 18:11.1) kept the maroon-and-gold near the front, while Ben Friedrichs (16th, 18:45.8) and Evan Peterson (24th, 19:35.6) provided the closing punch.
That five-runner spread was good for 46 points and a runner-up team finish, narrowly behind meet champion Litchfield (37). Sauk Centre’s Victor Anderson (33rd, 20:25.0) and Grant Boyer (44th, 20:53.4) rounded out the varsity lineup, showing the kind of depth that will matter as the season heads toward conference and section competition.
On the girls side, Bertha-Hewitt senior Miette Hansel impressed with a 9th-place finish in 20:59.2, and teammates Mckayla Kapphahn (35th, 23:45.5) and Aulani Johnson (43rd, 24:41.1) gave the Bears a top-half team presence.
Sauk Centre junior Kahlen Suelflow continued her strong fall with a 4th-place 20:19.3, pacing a Sauk Centre squad that scored 110 points for fifth place. Freshman Victoria Linscheid (20th, 22:24.2) and senior Olivia Marsh (22nd, 22:39.0) backed her up, with Alivia Nathe (32nd, 23:11.9), Megan Uphoff (39th, 24:05.4), Abigail Mohs (50th, 25:23.5) and Alyssa Tegels (52nd, 25:50.3) rounding out the effort.
Team Scores- Boys
1 Litchfield 37, 2 Sauk Centre 46, 3 West Central Area 57, 4 Melrose Area 94, 5 New London-Spicer 133, 6 A-B-E 153, 7 Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 215, 8 Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 224, 9 Paynesville 228.
Top 10 Boys Individual Finishers
| Place | Name | School | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Logan Wiehoff | Sauk Centre | 16:06.0 |
| 2 | Judah Allen | Litchfield | 16:18.8 |
| 3 | August Swenson | Litchfield | 16:39.3 |
| 4 | Carter Kjesbo | West Central Area | 16:42.7 |
| 5 | Brady Rach | Bertha-Hewitt | 17:04.6 |
| 6 | Landon Eliason | New London-Spicer | 17:07.9 |
| 7 | Henry Lockwood | Bertha-Hewitt | 17:52.0 |
| 8 | Zaron Olmschenk | Sauk Centre | 18:00.5 |
| 9 | Gunnar Barthel | Bertha-Hewitt | 18:07.1 |
| 10 | Landon Buysse | Sauk Centre | 18:11.1 |
Team Scores- Girls
1 New London-Spicer 28, 2 Litchfield 99, 3 Minnewaska 104, 4 Paynesville 109, 5 Sauk Centre 110, 6 West Central Area 163, 7 Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 172, 8 A-B-E 176, 9 Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 229.
Top 10 Girls Individual Finishers
| Place | Name | School | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kyla Vick | New London-Spicer | 19:24.8 |
| 2 | Taylor Munsch | New London-Spicer | 20:03.4 |
| 3 | Nori Song | Minnewaska Area | 20:17.7 |
| 4 | Kahlen Suelflow | Sauk Centre | 20:19.3 |
| 5 | Anna Boyle | Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta | 20:31.9 |
| 6 | Hazel Vetsch | New London-Spicer | 20:43.6 |
| 7 | Abby Thoma | Litchfield | 20:47.8 |
| 8 | Elsa Helstrom | Litchfield | 20:55.2 |
| 9 | Miette Hansel | Bertha-Hewitt | 20:59.2 |
| 10 | Sydney Peltier | New London-Spicer | 21:02.3 |