The Prior Lake Boys and Girls Cross Country teams traveled to Eagan to compete in the South Suburban Conference Championships and finally had nice weather to run in. You see, this particular meet seems to have been cursed the past few years.
In 2022, this ended up being the first snowfall of the season, which led to many frozen feet, making it difficult to run. Last year in 2023, there were monsoon-like rains which made for mud and puddles EVERYWHERE, and runners were soaked from head to toe. The sunny skies and 60ish degree temperatures were a pleasant and welcome change.
Up first for the 5K course were the JV girls. Prior Lake ended up finishing 2nd out of the 9 teams competing and had impressive finishes. Sophomore Riley Bevan won the race with a time of 21:29 followed by senior Sophia Basile taking 2nd at 21:51. The other Lakers in the top 20 were freshman Avery Zwagerman (8th – 22:52), freshman Addison Herty (9th – 22:58), junior Malin Everson (12th – 23:03), freshman Lily Reiter (14th – 23:14), and senior Annabel McCann (19th – 23:23).
Next was the very fast Boys Varsity race, and 3 of our 10 runners entered ended up earning Honorable Mention awards: 8th grader Isaiah Rock (33rd overall – 18:00), senior Ledger Sears (34th – 18:01), and senior Bryce Lindgren (40th – 18:14). The team placed 8th out of 10 in the conference, but look for them to move up in the years to come as 4 of the varsity team members are current freshmen or younger. They will be the team to watch over the next few years.
The Girls Varsity race was dominated by Prior Lake, and they became conference champions! All Conference Awards went to senior Layla Vennink (3rd overall – 19:34), junior Sara Gastony (4th – 19:37), junior Isabelle Reinders (5th – 19:49), senior Brooke Marquardt (6th – 19:49), senior Maggie Hoen (13th – 20:37), and junior McKenzie Benedict (15th – 20:46). Three Lakers earned honorable mention: sophomore Jordyn Nevin, junior Keeley Mohling, and junior Talia Bushman. The talent runs deep on this team.
The final race of the day was the Boys Junior Varsity where the Lakers had 20 runners entered. The top three Laker finishers were senior James Conley (39th overall – 19:58), sophomore Jackson Noble (43rd – 20:13), and sophomore Bennett Gerrish (52nd – 20:31). This group has been the most improved of the season and ended up taking 5th in the conference out of 10 teams.
After MEA Break, both Cross Country Teams took their top 10 runners to the section meet at Gale Woods Farm in Minnetrista to try and qualify for the State Tournament.
Mother Nature provided a gorgeous backdrop of trees full of fall color, a slight breeze, and partly cloudy skies for the Section 2AAA Cross Country Championship on October 22nd. Each school selects their top seven runners to try and earn an individual or a team trip to the state tournament. Prior Lake is in a tough section with Minnetonka, Eden Prairie, Shakopee, Waconia, Chanhassen, and Chaska to compete against.
The Boys Varsity 5K race was a quick one, and the Lakers had 2 runners place in the top 25. 8th grader Isaiah Rock led the way finishing 23rd overall with a time of 17:43, while freshman Tony Malinosky ran a 18:00 for a 25th place finish. Other runners in this 5K race included senior Ledger Sears, junior Luke Schwandt, junior Carter Buckingham, senior Sam Holm, and senior Bryce Lindgren. The boys team is already looking ahead to next season and what it might bring.
The Girls Varsity 5K race was DOMINATED by Prior Lake, and they became the Section 2AAA Champions! All 7 Laker runners placed into the top 25, which shows the depth of talent on this team.
The times and finishes include senior Layla Vennink, who took 2nd with a time of 18:47. Junior Sara Gastony was 4th (19:16). Junior Isabelle Reinders placed 6th (19:31). Senior Brooke Marquardt took 8th (19:39). Senior Maggie Hoen was 13th (19:56). Junior McKenzie Benedict placed 18th (20:35), and sophomore Jordyn Nevin took 23rd (20:54).
Let’s wish the Girls Cross Country team the BEST OF LUCK as they prepare for the State Tournament being held at the University of Minnesota on November 2nd! GO LAKERS!
