The Tundra Transition Zone

Welcome to the Wayzata High School Alumni Cross Country Report for the week ending September 13, 2015. Let's take a quick tour around the country to see how Wayzata graduates are faring for their colleges.

Competed at the Illinois State Invitational on 9/11 in Normal, IN. Ian was 47th overall, and 9th for Iowa.

Team Recap

Full Results

Iowa returns to action October 2 with the Notre Dame Invitational in South Bend, Indiana.

West Virginia University’s cross country team traveled to University Park, Pennsylvania, to compete at the PSU Spiked Shoe Invitational on 9/11. Anna did not compete. 

Team Recap

Full Results

297 flags along the finish line at the Spiked Shoe Invtl. representing the 2,977 lost on 9/11

Competed at the Alumni 5K at the St Olaf Cross Country Trails 9/12. Thomas finished 12th overall and was the #9 runner for the team.

Team Recap

Full Results

Competed at the Oz Memorial on 9/11 held at Les Bolstad golf course. 

Team Recap

Full Results

Quote: "Minnesota's four newcomers competed unattached on Friday night in their collegiate debuts. Connor Olson finished seventh in 19:13.0, Joey Duerr came in 15th at 19:40.6, Shane Streich finished 18th in 19:48.3 and Evan Ferlic came across the line at 19:51.9 to finish 20th."

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Next competes at the San Francisco Quad Invite on 9/17.

Next competes on 9/19 at the Sundodger Invitational at Lincoln Park in Seattle.

Next competes at the Roy Griak Invitational on 9/26.

Next competes at the Roy Griak Invitational on 9/26.

Competed at the UW-River Falls Falcon Invite. The women's 6000-meter race was held at the Kilkarney Hills golf course in River Falls, WI. Annika placed 3rd overall, and her 6K time of 22:27 would place her 13th in the nation as of 9/12 (all college levels; reported MileSplit times). 

Full Results

River Falls XC Meet - Falcon Invitational — with Halle Marr, Nikki Betzler, Rachel Needham and Annika Halverson.

Next competes at the St. Olaf Invite on 9/19.

Lauren placed sixth overall at the Dutch Invitational held on 9/5 in Pella, IA. At that time, her 6K time of 25:47 lead all MN women for that distance.

Full Results

Next competes at the St. Olaf Invite on 9/19.

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Competed at the UW-River Falls Falcon Invite. The women's 6000-meter race was held at the Kilkarney Hills golf course in River Falls, WI. Mata finished 14th overall. 

Team Recap

Full Results

Quote: "Mata Agre (Sr., Medina, Minn.) (23:45.65), Lydia Hayes (So., Decorah, Iowa) (23:45.76), and Lotus Schifsky (Fy., Prescott, Wis.) (23:46.05) formed a formidable pack in the middle and rounded out the Gustie scoring, placing 14th, 15th, and 16th, respectively."

Competed at the UW-River Falls Falcon Invite. The women's 6000-meter race was held at the Kilkarney Hills golf course in River Falls, WI. Marit finished 6th overall. 

Team Recap

Full Results

Quote: "Seniors Lauren Shurson (Chanhassen, Minn.) and Marit Sonnesyn (Plymouth, Minn.) led the Gusties on the afternoon. Shurson finished in fifth place with a time of 22:41.71, while Sonnesyn was right behind her, placing sixth in 22:44.77.

“Lauren and Marit are doing a great job in leading our team, said Bahr. “I’m proud of how they’ve both stepped up…they’ve been great role models for our younger runners.”

Halverson & Sonnesyn battle late in the race.

Next competes at the St. Olaf Invite on 9/19.

Welcome to the Wayzata High School Alumni Cross Country Report for the week ending September 5, 2015. Let's take a quick tour around the country to see how Wayzata graduates are faring for their colleges.

Competed at Hawkeye Early Bird Invitational on 9/4 at the Mon River Rail Trail. Ian was 3rd overall, running unattached. 

Team Recap

Full Results

Quote: "Ian Eklin, a freshman from Plymouth, Minnesota, placed third in the men's 6,000-meters. Eklin competed unattached in his first collegiate race, finishing four seconds behind the winner in 19:13.5. Eklin, one of three unattached freshman to finish in the top 20, finished 11 spots ahead of Iowa's top scorers."

Did not compete at the Baruch Invitational on 9/6 held at Van Courtlandt Park, Bronx NY. 

15-second video of the start:

 

Full Results

Competed at WVU Alumni Open on 9/1 at the Mon River Rail Trail. Anna was 7th overall. It has not yet been determined if Anna will red-shirt or not.

Team Recap

Full Results

Quote: "“The most impressive high school resume is Minnesota native Anna French. Anna has the potential to have an immediate impact on the Mountaineer program,” said coach SeanCleary.

Competed at the Augsburg Dual on 9/5 geld at Riverside Park. Thomas took fifth overall, and was the top runner for St. Olaf. Note: The St. Olaf men's cross country team only sent its first years to run in the Augie Open 5K.

Team Recap

Full Results

Lerdall is in bib 3363

Has not competed yet.

Gopher freshmen class of Shane Streich, Evan Ferlic, Connor Olson, Joey Duerr 

Competed at USF Invitational at Golden Gate Park's Hellman Hollow Meadow on 9/5. Jack was 49th overall. 

Full Results

Competed at Nature’s Bakery Nevada Twilight Classic on 9/4. McKenna was 13th overall, and the 8th runner for Nevada. 

Team Recap

Full Results

Competed at the Bison Open in Fargo on 9/4. Aaron placed 6th overall.

Team Recap

Full Results

Competed at the CSU Invite in Fort Collins on 9/4. Mary was 48th overall.

Full Results

Competed at the Augsburg Dual on 9/5 geld at Riverside Park. Annika took first overall.

Full Results

Halverson will be a top MIAC runner again this season

Competed at Crown College Invite held in St. Bonifacius, MN on 9/5. Adam finished 11th overall. 

Full Results (Click on Sheet 3 of the Excel file)

Did not compete.

Competed at the UWEC Alumni Open on 9/5.

No results posted yet.

Thorson delivers team preview (video).

Competed at Gustie Invite held in the Linnaeus Arboretum on 9/5. Mata was 16th overall.

Team Recap. 

Full Results.

Competed at Gustie Invite held in the Linnaeus Arboretum on 9/5. Marit was second overall. 

Team Recap. 

Full Results.

Quote: "Marit Sonnesyn (Sr., Plymouth, Minn.) was the Gusties’ leader by finishing the 5k with a time of 20:22.2, good for second place overall. 

I was pleased with the way our team raced today,” said Coach Dale Bahr. "When healthy, Marit is one of the top runners in the MIAC and she proved that today with a nice performance." 

Sonnesyn at Gustie Invite

Welcome to the Wayzata High School Alumni Indoor Track Report for the week ending April 12, 2015. Let's take a quick tour around the country to see how Wayzata graduates are faring for their colleges.

Competed at the Lee Krough Invitational. Mata ran the Women's 3000 Meter Steeplechase, placing 3rd with a time of 12:12.51.

Complete Results

Team Recap. Quote: "Rounding out Gustavus’s top performances with third place finishes was Kaitlin Bembenek (Jr., Prior Lake, Minn.), Haley Kemper (Sr., Prior Lake, Minn.), and Mata Agre (So., Medina, Minn.). Bembenek went 1:01.51 in the 400-meter dash, Kemper clocked a 1:12.44 in the 400-meter hurdles, and Agre posted a time of 12:12.51 in the 3000-meter steeplechase."

Mata has run even faster this season, with a time that places her 45th in the nation for D3 colleges.

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Mata during the steeplechase.

Competed at the Lee Krough Invitational. Lauren ran the Women's 3000 Meter Steeplechase, placing 4th with a time of 12:52.66.

Complete Results

Team Recap

Competed at the University of Colorado Invite this weekend. She ran the Women's 3000 in 10:46, placing ninth. If Mary was not red-shirted, her time would place in the top 10 for the Mountain West Conference.

Team Recap

Full Results

Competed at the Hamline Invitational. Annika won the Women's 1500 Meters in 4:39.79. Depending on other weekend results, her time should place her within the top 10 in the nation amongst D3 colleges.

Complete Results

Team Recap. Quote: "The Royal women enjoyed particular success in the distance events on Saturday, as several athletes easily surpassed their season and career-bests.  Freshman Annika Halverson ascended to No. 15 (actually 14th...see below) in the nation in the 1500-meter run with a time of 4:39.79, while teammates Mollie Gillberg and Melody Waltontook the top-two spots in the 3000-meter steeplechase."

Halverson won the 1500 at Hamline on Saturday.

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Competed at the Lee Krough Invitational. Marit ran the Women's 5000 meters, placing 2nd in a time of 18:42.81. Should her time hold through the weekend, she'll be in the top 3 in the MIAC.

Complete Results

Team Recap. Quote: "On the track, Courtney Branch (Jr., Minnetonka, Minn.) and Marit Sonnesyn (Jr., Plymouth, Minn.) both finished runner-up in their respective race. Branch crossed the finish line in 5:09.30 in the 1,500-meter run, and Sonnesyn came in behind Fermoyle in 18:42.81 in the 5,000-meter run."

Marit's time places her 3rd best in the MIAC.

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Competed at the Hamline Invitational. Adam ran the Men's 5000 Meters in 16:07.84.

Complete Results

Competed at the Husker Spring Invite in Lincoln, NE. Aaron ran in the Men's 3000, placing tenth in a time of 9;01.97.

Team Recap 

Full Results

Competing at the Hamline Invitational. Brian anchored the Tommies 4x100 relay to a 3rd place finish in 42.49. Brian was also scheduled to run in the Men's 400 Meters but did not start his heat.

Complete Results

Competed at the UW-Platteville Invitational. Joe ran the Men's 3000 meter steeplechase and placed 5th with a time of 10:19.15.

Heat Sheets

Live Results

Competing at the Boston-Moon Classic in Nashville. Derek was scheduled to run in the Men's 1500 Meters, but did not appear in the results.

Full Results

Team Recap

Competing at Bucknell Bison Outdoor Classic. James was scheduled to run the Men's 400 on Sunday, but appears to have not run. 

Team Recap

Full Results

Competing at Bucknell Bison Outdoor Classic. Michael ran the Men's 400, placing 11th with a time of 48.93. He also ran the third leg of the Men's 4x100 which placed 8th with a time of 42.55. He is also anchored the Men's 4x400 relay on Sunday to a 4th place finish in a time of 3:16.49. 

Full Results

Team Recap. Quote: "Sophomore Tobenna Attah led the 400 group in ninth place (48.86), just ahead of Michael Smith (11th, 48.93), sophomore Will Gibson (49.82), and freshman Lionel Chambers (50.48)." 

"In the 4x400 relay, the group of Attah (50.0), senior Max Hairston (49.1), senior Francisco Olloqui (48.7), and Michael Smith (48.5) placed fourth in 3:16.49 (IC4A)."

Competed at the UChicago at Chicagoland Championships (Glen Ellyn, Ill.), Wamuo ran 56.34 in the Men's 400 Hurdles, placing third. His time betters his previous PR by 2.7 seconds. That time puts him 5th fastest for the 400 hurdles in the University Athletic Association. The time also landed him in at 50th fastest in the nation for D3 schools.

Team Recap

Full Results

McKenna will again tackle the steeplechase next weekend.

Alayna will not be running track for the Catamounts this spring.

Adam appears to be off this weekend.

Josh appears to be off this weekend.

Welcome to the Wayzata High School Alumni Indoor Track Report for the week ending March 15, 2015. Let's take a quick tour around the country to see how Wayzata graduates are faring for their colleges.

Competed outdoors at Aggie Open in Davis, CA. McKenna competed in the Women's 2000 meter steeplechase, placing 4th overall. She ran unattached as the coach is determining which freshmen he red-shirts for the outdoor season.

Complete results.

Wolfpack team recap. Quote:

Competed at 2015 NCAA Division III Men's and Women's Indoor Track and Field Championships.

Bethel Team Preview here. Quote:

"Among those invited from Bethel was distance runner Annika Halverson and field participant Alyssa Solberg. Halverson reached the national meet in the one-mile race, thanks to a time of 5:00.99 at Grinnell's Darren Young Classic on February 14. The freshman's national meet appearance is her first career, but second NCAA Championship event. Halverson reached the Division III meet for cross country earlier this fall."

The only Fr in the field, Halverson toes the line at 1:30 Fri. Live results: http://t.co/1ZgfwEKn4r @WayzataGirlsTF pic.twitter.com/BkO6CSnS3j

— Brian Maas (@TriGeekAddict) March 13, 2015

Good luck to Annika Halverson & Alyssa Solberg, who compete at the @NCAADIII Championships today and tomorrow! #d3tf pic.twitter.com/7e1ZI7vBzP

— Bethel Royals (@BethelRoyals) March 13, 2015

In a "who will blink first" race, @BethelRoyals Halverson falls just 0.04 from making finals in WMile at D3 Natls. http://t.co/1ZgfwEKn4r

— Brian Maas (@TriGeekAddict) March 13, 2015

When reached for a quote, Annika said: "The race was definitely interesting, a lot of elbows thrown my way, and quite a few shoves but in the end I learned a lot about tactics and I know I'll be more ready for outdoor nats if I make it!"

Annika also received additional honors this past week:

Frosh Halverson makes MIAC All Cnf Team, twice. http://t.co/06HfOMf8m9 @WayzataGirlsTF #doublethefun pic.twitter.com/Z6ZrhyL6oG

— Brian Maas (@TriGeekAddict) March 13, 2015

Competing at NCAA Championships. March 11-14. Pre-NCAA story here.

Quote:

Day One Catamount Recap here. Results here. Quote: 

Day Three Catamount Recap here. Results here. Quote: 

Alayna & Mom, Jill

While off from competing this weekend, Jarvey received honors nonetheless. He was named Outstanding MIAC Track Athlete. Quote:

Brian Jarvey: From Popp's School of Speed to MIAC Outstanding Track Athlete. http://t.co/28vKKRCvaF @WayzataTrack pic.twitter.com/DW8qvwCnrz

— Brian Maas (@TriGeekAddict) March 13, 2015

Competed at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships hosted by Roanoke College. 

Blugold team recap on DMW National victory. Quote:

Complete results. Men's DMR results.

Moline leads off the National winning DMR. Click thumbnail for larger view.

Update on Michael: He suffered a minor hamstring injury and is expected back to competing in the near future.

Up next: At Texas Relays (Austin), March 26 - 28.

Competed at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships hosted by Roanoke College. Anchored the national winning DMR and placed 3rd in the Men's 3000.

Blugold team recap on DMW National victory. Quote:

Complete results. Men's DMR results. Blugold team recap. Quote:

Thorson anchors the National winning DMR. Click thumbnail for larger view.

National recap here. Quote:

Here's my bootleg video of the 3000 meter race:

Thorson 3000 D3 Nationals from Brian Maas on Vimeo.

Lauren will run outdoor track for the Vikings this spring. She is a hurdle specialist. In 2014, she placed 5th in the 400 hurdles at the UMAC outdoor championships. Word is she will run the steeple this coming season. Her first outdoor meet will be April 11 at Gustavus. 

Injury issues have interrupted Franke's freshman year, and she has been red-shirted. She continues to workout with the Rams team and is currently gearing up for the outdoor season where she will run unattached. Next race tentatively set for March 28th in Fort Collins (CO). 5K or 10K distance.

Her first outdoor meet will be April 11 at Gustavus.

Up next: Hamline Invite on April 11

Up next: At Tulsa (OK) Duals, March 20-21

Up next: At Emory Classic, March 20-21.

 

Up Next: Alabama Relays, March 19-20

Up next: At Texas Relays (Austin), March 26 - 28.

Up next: Ted Haydon Invitational (Outdoor) in Chicago on April 4.

Erin placed 5th in the Mile, 7th in 3,000m at the NCAA Indoor Championships.

Bison recap.

Welcome to the Wayzata High School Alumni Indoor Track Report for the week ending March 1, 2015. Let's take a quick tour around the country to see how Wayzata graduates are faring for their colleges.

McKenna is running in the Mountain West Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, N.M. On Friday, she anchored the Women's DMR to a 7th place finish with a time of 12:08.55. 

Friday's Results. Saturdays's Final Results. Final Team Scores. Wolfpack Team recap.

Up next: NCAA Indoor Championships, March 13-14.

Evans takes the anchor hand-off.

Injury issues have interrupted Franke's freshman year, and she has been red-shirted. She continues to workout with the Rams team and is currently gearing up for the outdoor season where she will run unattached. Next race TBD.

While the majority of the Bethel team was at the Kilt Classic, hosted by Macalester on Feb 27, a small contingent attend the Ole Opener in Northfield. Annika anchored the Women's DMR to a 3rd place finish with a time of 12:08.19.

Ole Opener Results. Bethel Team recap.

Up next: MIAC Championships, March 6-7.

Alayna is skiing in the EISA Championships (at St. Lawrence) Feb 27-28. On day 1, she finished 4th overall on the Women's 5K freestyle.

Day One Results 

Day One Team Recap

On Saturday, Alayna finished 9th in the 15K Classic event.

Day Two Results.

Vermont team recap.

Up next: NCAA Championships. March 11-14

Marit just finished the Nordic season at NCAA Regionals this weekend. She finished 12th overall in the Women's Freestyle 5K. Full Results. She also finished 18th overall in the Women's Classic 15K race. Full Results. 

Marit plans to compete in outdoor track this coming season.

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Click on thumbnail for larger image.

Adam ran in the 3000 at the Ole Opener in Northfield on Feb 27. His time was 9:20.06.

Ole Opener Results

Tommies Team recap.

Up next: MIAC Championships, March 6-7.

USD is competing at the Summit League Championships on Feb 27-28 in Fargo. Breyer ran the 3rd leg in the DMR helping the USD team to a 2nd place finish in 10:17.99.

On Saturday, Breyer finished 11th in the mile with a time of 4:22.63, bettering his season best by nearly 8 seconds. 

Complete results. Coyote team recap.

Up next: NCAA Indoor Championships, March 13-14.

Derek competed at the Atlantic Sun Indoor Championships Feb 27 - March 1. He led off the DMR, which took 3rd place with a time of 10:30.32. On Day Two, he placed 10th in the mile with a season best time of 4:27.30

Live results

Bisons Team recap Day 1.

Up Next: NCAA I Indoor National Championships, March 13-14

Brian anchored the 4x400 relay to first place at the Ole Opener in Northfield on Feb 27. The finishing time was 3:21.77.

Ole Opener Results

Tommies Team recap.

Up next: MIAC Championships, March 6-7.

At WIAC Championship, Feb 27-28. Joe appears to have the weekend off from competing.

Complete results. Blugold team recap.

Up next: UWSP Last Chance, March 7.

Competing at the WIAC Championship, Feb 27-28. 

On Friday, Moline led off the DMR, and helped the team to a 3rd place finish in 10:13.68. Saturday, Moline ran a 1:56.07 in the 800, good for a 9th place finish..

Complete results. Blugold team recap.

Up next: UWSP Last Chance, March 7.

At Indoor Heptagonal Championships, Cambridge MA on Feb 28. James appears to have the weekend off from racing. James did not compete.

At Indoor Heptagonal Championships, Cambridge MA on Feb 28. Michael ran the 400 prelims on Saturday in a time of 48.36 and makes the finals with the 2nd fastest time. He also ran in the 200 prelims, coming in with the 6th fastest seed (21.96), but was unfortunately DQ'd due to a lane violation.

Michael did not compete in the 400 finals will be run on Sunday, as per team reports, he had to withdraw due to injury.

"Sophomore Tobenah Attah blazed to a runner-up performance of 48.25

(IC4A, #8 all-time) in the 400, after running 49.10 in the prelims. Michael Smith ran a fine prelim time of 48.36 (IC4A), but had to withdraw from the final due to injury."

Cornell team recap. Results.

Competing at the WIAC Championship, Feb 27-28. 

Friday Evening Update: Josh placed 7th in the mile with a time of 4:15.15, just off his season best of 4:13.88. On Saturday, Thorson set a facility record in the 3k, with a wining time of 8:20.56. As of Saturday, that time is 5th fastest in the nation for D3 schools.

Complete results. Blugold team recap.

Up next: UWSP Last Chance, March 7.

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Wamuo ran in the UAA Indoor Championships this past weekend. In 400 prelims, he ran a 50.39 to qualify for the finals. He finished 5th in the finals, with a 49.91. Wamuo also ran the 2nd leg on the 4x400 relay, which finished in a time of 3:21.44

Results. Maroon team recap.

Up next: At Wisconsin-Stevens Point Last Chance Meet

Erin is competing Summit League Championships on Feb 27-28 in Fargo. On Saturday, she won the mile in 4:41.28 and won the 800 in 2:10.21. She also anchored the winning DMR, with a time of 12:03.54.

Note: North Dakota State's Erin Teschuk broke a 17-year Summit League Championship record in the women's mile run with a time of 4:41.28.

Complete results.

Up next: NCAA Indoor Championships, March 13-14.

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Welcome to the first Wayzata High School Alumni Indoor Track Report of the season, as we take a quick tour around the country to see how Wayzata graduates are faring for their colleges.

Evans celebrated her birthday week by traveling to Boise, ID to run in the Boise State Team Challenge. She anchored the winning Distance Medley relay, running for the Nevada 'B' team.

She later returned to the track to run the open 800 placing 8th overall, just off her lifetime personal record of 2:18.08. Full Story can be found here. Full Results.

 

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Bethel's Annika Halverson shattered the meet record at the Darren Young Classic in the mile. And her time puts her 12th nationally for D3 colleges and 2nd in the MIAC behind Ruth Steinke of Carleton. Full Story can be read here. Full results.

This is coming off a week in which Halverson clocked a 3:01.86 in the 1000, which puts her 12th nationally for D3 schools and 2nd overall in the MIAC behind Emily Gapinski of St. Thomas. When asked about the 1000 afterwards, Halverson indicated she "really enjoyed it". Perhaps we will see her run the 1000 again this season.

Click on thumbnail for larger view

Click on thumbnail for larger view

In addition, Halverson currently ranks 12th in the MIAC in the 3000.

On Friday, Michael Smith ran 22.26 200 at the SPIRE Invitational in Geneva, OH. That time tied the #10 mark in Cornell school history. This also ranks him 12th overall in the Ivy League Conference. He returned to the track on Saturday to anchor the 4x400 relay to a 4th place finish. The 4x4 team of Attah (48.8), Olloqui (48.4), Cooper (48.2), and Smith

(47.2) ran 3:12.68 which is the #8 all-time

mark in school history. Full story can be read here. Full results.

Last weekend, Smith ran a 48.31 400 at the Sykes-Sabock Challenge Cup in State College, PA which places him 4th overall in the Ivy League Conference. Smith has a 47.40 personal best time in the 400.

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At the South Dakota State Classic, Breyer placed 6th overall for the Coyotes in the 3000 with a time of 8:54.16. The time places the freshman 20th overall in the Summit League thus far in the indoor season.

Breyer has also clocked a 4:30.11 in the mile this season, good for 26th overall in the Summit League

Full results.

Fresh off skiing internationally for Team USA at the World Junior Championships in Kazakstan, Sonnesyn returned to Vermont to finish 11th in the Women's 5K freestyle skate. This helped the Vermont Catamounts to a 143-point win over Dartmouth at the Middlebury

Carnival. The victory was Vermont's 20th straight win on the EISA

Circuit. Full story. Full Results.

The Tommie junior won the 400 (50.08) and took fourth in the 200 (22.91) at the UST Showcase indoor meet in Anderson Fieldhouse. Full story can be found here. Full results.

Jarvey currently ranks 35th nationally in D3 schools in the 400 (49.94) which is also good for 2nd overall in the MIAC. He ranks 4th for the 200 (22.91) in the MIAC.

The Blugold junior took second in the 800 (1:55.10) at the UST Showcase indoor meet in Anderson Fieldhouse. Full story can be found here. Full results.

He ranks 21st in the 800 (1:55.10) in D3 schools. Moline has also run a 4:21.81 mile this indoor season.

Thorson won the 3,000-meter run in 8:17.90—good for second nationally in D3 and breaking the school record at the UST Showcase indoor meet in Anderson Fieldhouse. Full story can be found here. Full results.

Thorson has also run a 4:13.88 mile this indoor season, good for 10th nationally for D3 schools.

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Brandt ran a 16:16.20 5000 at the UST Showcase indoor meet in Anderson Fieldhouse. Full Results.

Brandy currently sits 16th on the 5000 MIAC leader board.

Joe Meister (Class of '13) - UW-Eau Claire

Meister ran a 9:01.67 3000 at the UST Showcase indoor meet in Anderson Fieldhouse. Full results.

Meister has also run a 4:33.80 mile this indoor season. 

James Smith (Class of '14) - Cornell (NY): Smith ran a 50.80 in the Men's 400 and was lead leg (51.5) for the 2nd place 4x400 relay at the Cornell Sunday Invitational on Sunday (2/15). Full story can be read here. Full results.

Former Wayzata track and cross country coach, Bill Miles, receives recognition from the Wayzata Public School Board for winning the National High School Cross Country Coach of the Year Award.

WHS Coach Bill Miles Recognition 2/09/2015 from Wayzata Public Schools on Vimeo.

North Dakota is now the second leading oil production state. But they aren't about to stop there.

After a stellar weekend of racing at the Iowa State Classic, NDSU standout Erin Teschuk finds herself amongst the top of the national leader board with some of the current greats of distance runners. Teschuk posted a then national best time of 9:02.40 in the 3000-meter run, setting the ISU Classic meet record in the process. Full story here. Iowa State Classic full results. 

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Disney has released the first trailer for McFarland, USA. The film follows coach Jim Lee (Kevin Costner), who transformed a team of unlikely cross-country runners into state champions back in 1987, and this initial footage indicates that the movie aims to strike the delicate balance between heartwarming melodrama and a lighthearted fish-out-of-water story. I'm a bit astonished that a feature film about cross country is finding its way to the silver screen. And it gave me pause as a little less than a year ago, a local parent had touted the idea of doing a feature film on the 2013 Wayzata girls cross country team that stunned the high school cross country pundits by winning a national championship in Portland, OR. Wayzata High School - Girls 2013 Nike National Champions - Photo Montage from Brian Maas on Vimeo. I shot it down. "Who would watch a movie about cross country?", I had asked. Well, Disney for one. Of course, that begs the question, which actor would play each pivotal role in a movie on the Wayzata Seven? Let's take a look. The Coaches Dave Emmans, head coach (Benedict Cumberbatch) Addy Hallen, assistant coach (Emily Blunt) The Runners McKenna Evans (Scarlett Johanssen) Mary Franke (Emma Watson) Anna French (Natalie Portman) Annika Halverson (Reese Witherspoon) Michaela Keller-Miller (Jennifer Lawrence) Annika Lerdall (Anne Hathaway) Alayna Sonnesyn (Keira Knightly) So, there you have it. The movie won't be cheap to make because of the actor salaries, but it is bound to make somewhere in the range of $160-$170 million in US domestic sales in the first weekend alone. I think it worth the risk. Of course, it will need a producer/director. And who else to bring this film to the silver screen but the film writer himself, Thomas Franke. Afterall, it Franke who first had the idea. And since he is a parent, and obviously would have a minor role in the film, we need to cast his part also. Tom Franke (Chris Hemsworth) And there you have it, the first production meeting for the Wayzata Girls Cross Country feature length movie. Funding is being worked on by selling commemorative shoe laces.  Have your own suggestion for the lead roles? Leave a comment. 

After taking the silver medal at the 2013 US ModernPentathlon National championships, Graham Maas returned home and immediately

made a vow to return in 2014 and bring back gold. In this age of limited

attention spans, one year is a long time for a boy of fourteen to stick to a

plan. 

For those unfamiliar with Modern Pentathlon, the sport

includes fencing, swimming, running and shooting. Athletes younger than

nineteen do not compete in equestrian events, the fifth pentathlon element, for

liability reasons. If you think getting your child to soccer practice each week

is tough, try scheduling practice for four events on a daily basis.

The first step in Graham’s plan was to become an even faster

runner. Fortunately, he runs for the Wayzata cross country team. In his final

middle school season, Graham went from being a middle of the pack runner to one

of the top five runners on the team. Graham singled out the coaching of Chad

Bartels and Kraig Lungstrom who worked with him to become better at pacing and

using proper form. All of which paid off in spades.

Graham finishing up a cross country race for Wayzata in 2013

Graham swims year-round with the Life Time Bears swim team.

It’s not every swimmer that gets to swim with the US Paralympic national coach,

but again fortune shined on Graham when the swim team named Tom Franke as its

head coach. Franke, was recently  tabbed the Paralympic National Coach of theYear. Franke helped Team USA to an astonishing 41 medals at the 2012 London

Paralympics as co-head coach of the U.S. squad. 

Graham & swim coach, Tom Franke

 Franke also individually coached

Team USA's three captains: Anna Eames (silver), Cortney Jordan (three silvers,

one bronze) and Justin Zook (gold and a world record). Zook has been a key

motivator for Graham, providing all the depth and knowledge required to become

an Olympian. 

Before swimming at the Olympic Training Center Aquatic Center, Graham always pays a visit to the photo of Justin Zook, one of his swim coaches back in Minnesota

In the three months following cross

country season, Franke had lowered Graham’s 200 freestyle time by twelve

seconds. Graham also credits Franke with something else: firing the inner Olympic

spirit in him and more importantly, being a gracious and humble competitor.

In late winter, Graham was struggling

with his fencing. He was losing more than ever before. He was having

performance meltdowns on the fencing strip. It simply was not working for him.

The stars aligned again when Minnesota Sword Club director Rich Jacobson

introduced Graham to Jim Johnson, the competitive instructor at the club.

Johnson and Graham immediately clicked. As Graham stated, “Prior to Coach

Johnson, I was just told to ‘do this’ or ‘do that’ but no one ever connected

the dots for me so I never knew why I

was doing something with my footwork or with the blade. Coach Johnson explained

to me the why, and it all became so

clear. I guess I’m sort of cerebral and I just needed to see the end game.”

Graham became a much more confident fencer and it started to show in

tournaments. Progress was being made.

Graham & Minnesota Sword Club competitive epee instructor, Jim Johnson

It was also time for Graham to start training for track. The weather outside was cold, but Graham was invited to train inside the dome at Central Middle School each Friday afternoon where 400 interval training was going on. Graham would finish up his running session and head straight over to the pool to get in a two hour workout. The days were getting long for him now, and would not ease up until late June. He stayed dedicated.

2014 Track Training - Central MS Dome from Brian Maas on Vimeo.

On March 29 at the start of spring

break, Graham traveled to San Antonio, Texas, to compete in the Paul Pesthy

Memorial Pentathlon, which served as the Texas Regional Championships. Maas

fenced at the newly built and fully dedicated fencing building on the campus of

the University

of the Incarnate Word. 

2014 Paul Pesthy Memorial Pentathlon from Brian Maas on Vimeo.

from John Moreau

who was a member of 1984 and 1988 US Olympic

Fencing Team. During competition Graham fenced well enough to take him to the

title of overall male winner for the regional event, his first overall

pentathlon win.

Graham and John Moreau fence together in San Antonio

Heights. Snow was still on the ground as Graham competed in the Great Prairie

Pentathlon, the regional event for the Midwest. Instead of aging up and

competing with the older boys, he stayed within his natural age group to compete

and start to get ready for Nationals. His combined run-shoot time had the

timers simply shaking their heads. How could someone run that fast and yet

shoot so accurately? Confidence was growing.

Graham completes the Minnesota regional Pentathlon

2014 Great Prairie Pentathlon from Brian Maas on Vimeo.

Track season arrived and again Graham found

himself working with Kraig Lungstrom. There was a barrier to breakthrough and

Graham was hell-bent on achieving it: A sub-five minute 1600. Lungstrom again

coached Graham to proper pacing and calculated workouts. Graham finished the

season with that sub-five minute 1600. On three separate occasions. But even more impressive was running the

3200 in 10:40, the second fastest by an 8th grader in Wayzata high

school history. That was important because in the run-shoot combined of

pentathlon, Graham would be called upon to run 4x800 meter circuits with

precision shooting in between each 800. Graham now had the confidence to run

faster and shoot well.

April 28th Intervals with Kraig from Brian Maas on Vimeo.

Graham has always been a strong shooter

and many consider that aspect to be his best pentathlon element. But that

doesn’t mean advice is not needed. On April 26, Graham competed in the New

Mexico Modern Pentathlon regional held in Roswell, New Mexico. The day before

the competition, he worked on shooting with New Mexico Military Institute head coach Jan Olesiński. Olesiński’s credentials

include competing in the 1980 Olympic Games.

Graham and Jan Olesiński

Graham, the youngest competitor by far, finished second in the field. He simply

blew everyone away during the shooting phase. 

2014 New Mexico Modern Pentathlon from Brian Maas on Vimeo.

out. Graham was working out three, sometimes four, times per day. He refused

all sweets. He only drank milk. He didn’t even want soda in the house. His

personal pentathlon coach, Todd McIntyre, started to prepare Graham mentally

for Nationals. Now that Graham had participated in three regionals in 2014, he

knew nearly all his competitors. McIntyre would play the part of one of the

competitors at fencing practice and Graham would have to quickly adjust his

focus and movements for that person. It was a crucial last step. Fencing is the

first event up during a day-long pentathlon event. And Graham would need a fast

start.

the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, the boy’s National event

began. Each competitor faced 42 grueling one touch fencing bouts. Graham

immediately started off with a win. After ten bouts he was 8-2. After twenty

bouts he was 14-6. He finished with five straight victories for total of 27 wins

and just 15 defeats for a win percentage of 64%, a personal record. And he not

only led the Youth C (13-14 year old) category, he was tied for fourth overall

out of twenty-two athletes. 

more impressive because it was at altitude as Colorado Springs sits at 6500

feet elevation. He still led Youth C and was still sitting in fourth place,

this time all by himself. 

best yet again and earned his first national championship. Graham

performed so well that he was the top scorer from all groups and winner of

Youth C with 1,091 points. Reigning National Youth A and Junior champion

Brendan Anderson won Youth A with 1,068 points, Seamus Millett won Youth B with

1,068 points and Alexander Yue won Youth E with 897 points. The full results of

the Youth Boys US National Championship can be viewed by clicking here.

2014 US Modern Pentathlon Nationals - Graham Highlights from Brian Maas on Vimeo.

While Graham said his coaches were the key to the victory,

his friends and fellow competitors also had a key role. Floridian Michael

Hoffmann, arguably the best youth male pentathlete fencer in the country, did

not hesitate to provide Graham with advice. Neither did Hoffmann’s coach,

Egyptian pentathlete Omar El Geziry, one the top male pentathletes in the

world. Up-and-coming pentathletes such as Colorado’s Seamus Millett and

California’s Noah Rescate provided not only fantastic and stressful

competition, but valued and long-lasting friendship. The USA Modern Pentathlon youth team will be a force to be reckoned on the international stage with in the coming years. I'm not sure the youth deep has ever been so deep in talent.

Graham’s next goals? Another successful cross country

season, this time under the tutelage of Bill Miles, the long-tenured coach of

the 2013 Minnesota State champion Wayzata harriers. Then try out for, and make,

the 2013 Minnesota State champion Wayzata swim team. 

Longer term, Graham has his eye on Buenos Aires in 2015 and

Dublin in 2016 where the Youth World Modern Pentathlon championships will be

held. It will take a lot of work to get there. All of which Graham has shown he

is willing to do.

Event: Wayzata Alumni Cross Country Race Date: Saturday, August 17, 2013 Location: Wayzata High School Hotel: Home, sweet home Weather: 66F, wind at 7 MPH from the south Official Results: Overall Results Previous Results: First time at this event Personal Result Goal: Speed Workout Official Result: 13:39 (6:49 per mile pace) Overall: 77th (182 total) Podium Boy Result Last Year: 14:35 (107th out of 200) Goal: Under 13:30 Official Result: 13:34 (6:47 per mile pace) Overall: 72nd (182 total) Garmin Direct Garmin Results Link Splits Elevation Summary I made a big jump this past week. From 1984-1997 I worked retail pharmacy. If you count the years I spent working retail as a pharmacy intern whilst in college at North Dakota State University, I had spent 17 years in this particular chapter of my life. In 1997, I started writing a new chapter when I landed a job with a pharmacy benefit management company. For the next 17 years, I applied my trade in an environment where I no longer needed to work nights, weekends, and holidays like I had while in retail. During this time, Podium Boy was born (April 2000) and I also started working from home part-time, and then finally was full-time from home for the last three years. This was greatly advantageous as any parent with a youngin' can attest to. This past Friday was my last day with this company. The time had come for me to close that chapter and write the next one. One that hopefully take me through to retirement. And more importantly, leave a legacy, be more rewarding, and be much less stressful than the past employment. I embark on this period of unemployment with a blank piece of paper, with no idea what career I might attempt to pursue. But to start with, I'm actually going to be a volunteer coach for the Wayzata Middle School cross country team. And first up was the annual Alumni race, pitting the current 7-12 grade class versus the past alumni, or parent of a current runner. Somehow, the alumni always manage to win. It was no different today. Start of the Alumni Race I ran this race with the sole purpose of being a rabbit and pace setter for Podium Boy. We planned to go out at about 6:30 or better pace and then hold it as best we could. There are two fairly significant, albeit short, climbs that really sap the legs. I'm in the white cap, Podium Boy in blue shirtWe went through the first mile in 6:28 and I was really happy with our position and with how Podium Boy was responding to several mini-surges. Much of the course was on a single-track wood chip trail and often we'd have to surge past slower runners when the opportunity presented itself as the trail was lined by trees on either side. The wood chip trail was nice on the old bones Just a little over one mile inWe came to the last hill with about one-half mile to go. I was started to struggle and Podium Boy was laboring on the hill. However, upon cresting I told him to go if he had gas left and he went. This was very pleasing that he was able to pick up the pace after a climb this early in the season. He opened up around 10-yards on me and maintained that going into the finish. Podium Boy zooms for the finish line Podium Boy beats me fair & squareIt was a great day to be running cross country as the weather was ideal. And it was a great way to begin my new chapter in the book of life. Next Race August 25 - Minneapolis Duathlon On Deck September 14 - Park Tool "Fall Classic" Duathlon September 21 - Trees and Trails 5K

Event: Gear West Duathlon Date: Sunday, May 19, 2013 Location: Orono High School, Orono MN Hotel: Home, sweet home (10 minute drive away!) Weather: 66F, winds at 10 MPH from SSW, light rain (heavy rain right before, delaying start 15 mins) Official Results: Overall Results; Age Group Results; Gender Results; Awards Results Previous Results: Last time I was at this event was 1992, and it was held in the fall at that time Personal Results Goal: Top 5 in AG Actual: 3rd in AG Overall: 60th (249 total); 3rd in 50-54 AG (26 total) Garmin Garmin results link Pre-Cap What a long weekend. Friday night was spent driving to River Falls WI for the pre-event technical meeting for Podium Boy's first Modern Pentathlon. 50 mile drive took 1 hr 45 mins. Saturday it was the MP event itself kicking off with fencing at 8AM, swimming at 11AM, equestrian at 2PM, and the combined (shooting/running) at 3PM. Podium Boy came out as Male Youth C Champion (yeah!!) and is now going to Colorado Springs the first week of July to train with the Youth Development team at the Olympic Training Center and then compete in the national event. Podium has work ahead of head, there is a boy in New Mexico that might be a bit better than him at the moment. If you are curious, here is a link to photos from the Pentathlon event. And video: 20 13 Great Prairie Pentathlon Highlights from Brian Maas on Vimeo. As for me, Saturday was a very long day including travel time. When I woke up Sunday I was toying with bagging the Gear West Du and just going back to bed. Especially when the weather radar showed a big line of red heading our way. Still, with rain pouring down I left for the event. Heading to the Start Line Because of the rain, the event was delayed 15 minutes. I chose to run with the competitive wave, which means I got to leave with Wave 1 yet still be available for AG awards. I wanted to do this because I figured it would be very muddy (much of the run course is trail), and footing would be treacherous, especially on the second run. And it was muddy! Sorry, no GoPro videos...that would have been cool...but the battery was charging from the MP the day before. But to give you a taste, here are the flats I used. I used my backup Mizuno's as I knew my Nike LunaRacers would get destroyed. Before the raceAfter the race.  Run One (2.8 miles; Garmin said 3.03) Goal: sub 6:30 pace Time: 20.20 (7:16 per mile pace) Did I mention it was muddy? And I fell turning a tight 180-degree turn on muddy grass. Insult to injury. Transition One Goal: 1:10 Time: 1:50 Sort of a long stretch from the timing mat to the bike corral, so I'm not worried about being over my goal. Bike (16.6 miles) Goal: 21+ mph avg Time: 47:08 (21.1 MPH Avg) The bike wasn't that bad, as the rain stopped. What was bad was I had my first calf cramps of the year. I easily lost 60-90 seconds, maybe more, trying to shake those out. I was surprised as I had not had any this racing season. Maybe it was the slipping and sliding in the mud. Additionally, while I really like my new racing helmet, it got pretty steamy in there on climbs and the face shield did fog up a bit. But it cleared quickly.  Transition Two Goal: 1:10 Time: 1:18 At least the calf muscles did not cramp up while changing into the flats. Run Two (2.8 miles; Garmin said 3.03) Goal: sub 6:50 pace Time: 21:48 (7:47 per mile pace) The calf muscles were extremely tight as I started the second run. More of an old man shuffle. It took a good 1/2 mile before I can get into a normal stride. The second run felt better than the first, but after 250 people went through the course the first time, the second time was a swamp mud fest. I kept expecting to see lost shoes stuck in the mud. On the second run, before the mud flats Post-Cap This does not bode well for Apple and possibly qualifying for Worlds. I will need to finish in the top 6 in my AG, and as of now I count at l