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11/14/09 at Yankton Trails Park, Sioux Falls SD
IA - KS - MN - NE - ND - SD - WI



Sweetness, no matter where you're coming from
NXN Finals qualifiers all have different reasons to love making it to Portland

By SteveU
 
Which is sweeter?  Making it back to NXN Finals after getting nudged out by two points the previous year?  Earning a ticket to Portland for the first time?  Knowing you’re going to make a third consecutive trip after starting the season with a stress fracture that had you wondering how long it would take to get back even to a varsity level?

Qualifying for the Dec. 5 NXN Finals at Portland Meadows is sweet, any way you look at it – especially when the feat is accomplished on a sun-splashed November Saturday, with temps climbing to 50 and moderate winds, as runners enjoyed at the NXN Heartland Regional.  In a lot of ways, the exciting NXN Regional vibe has its birthplace here at Yankton Trails Park, and watching and listening to the reactions of the 38 team and individual qualifiers, it was clear none of the magic has been lost.  Witness the following reactions:
  • There was the flush of contained enthusiasm from Dowling Catholic sr Katie Flood; always the public picture of reticence and modesty, but clearly shaken by an overpowering course record performance that, it was learned later, led her team to the Girls Championship title and back to Portland.  Flood’s CR 17:19.06 was just a couple seconds clear of her fellow senior and standout teammate, Ashlie Decker (17:21.79), but 46 seconds faster than anyone else as the duo (photo, left, by Brent Madison) dominated the field like never before.  HL#1 Dowling Catholic (Dowling Catholic XC Club) also got the job done with their 3-4-5 for 105 points, 14 clear of runner-up Elk River MN (Elk River Runners), which leads us to …
  • … the bright-eyed amazement from Elk River MN sr Emma Bates, whose team rode the momentum from its Class AA state meet victory last week to a runner-up finish this week.  Many had figured Eden Prairie MN (Eden Prairie XC Club) for the title in Northfield eight days ago, but Elk River had the combination of frontrunners and depth to defeat the then-HL#3 by seven points, with Prior Lake in-between.  Saturday it was the same, with Bates and Abbi Aspengren finishing 6th-7th (scoring 3-4) and letting the “Red Wedge” do the work behind them for the 119-point total.  Once again, Eden Prairie was seven points back, and Bismarck ND (Demon RC) just eight more behind.  But the other Eden Prairie team DID qualify, which leads us to …
  • … the confident satisfaction of Aaron Bartnik, who knew his Eden Prairie MN team had refocused after their Class AA state title and simply done what they’d been doing all year while claiming the Boys Championship, scoring 61 points.  While the HL#1 couldn’t ignore Bismarck (3rd, 97) and other HL powers, it’s not too far off to say they could ran like they did at AA state – where they beat HL#2 Wayzata MN (Wayzata XC Club) by 10, 47-57.  Saturday, Wayzata scored 74.  Interestingly, while not by imitation, EP favors the moderate-start, come-from-way-behind style that their rivals have lived by.  Bartnik, who was the individual AA champ in MN as well, was 11 seconds back at the mile, but worked his way up by 2.5M before sprinting to victory (15:33.70).  That racing style worked OK for Wayzata, too, which leads us to …
  • … a mixture of relief and gratitude from Oliver Haugland, after coming from not running in the start of the season due to stress fracture to knowing he’ll add to his resume of two Portland trips with Wayzata.  Wayzata was not quite able get over the hump against their in-state rivals, but they were able to beat Bismarck again, as they did at Griak – and the rest of the field was far behind, with more than 100 points separating 3rd and 4th.  Haugland, in fact, was Wayzata’s 3rd man at Griak, finishing 33rd.  Saturday, he was 13th overall, scoring 8th and breaking 16:00 for the first time in his life (15:58.80).  He’s the only member of the team to make his third NXN Final.
Gratitude also best described what was coming from Coach Jim Kirby, as he watched his Dowling Catholic girls fill out their forms after the awards.  As the Parochial Vicar of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in West Des Moines, Father Jim is, well, “supposed” to be grateful.  But it could not have been more natural Saturday than to let that feeling flow.  He knew there was an overwhelming good chance that his star connection of Flood and fellow senior Decker would go 1-2, and they did.  Between them, the duo has three firsts, two seconds and a third in their resume of NXN Heartland individual finishes.  

Father Jim knew, however, that the 1-2 wouldn’t make the ultimate difference – his 3-4-5 girls would.  And his one-time #3, Tanelle Berard, has been sidelined by season-ending injury.

“We lost our #3 two days before state, but Diane Hubbell, Heather Tobias, and Vanessa Miller made the difference there,” he said.  “Today, they took it to another level.  They wanted to do it for Kate and Ashlie, so they wouldn’t go to Portland alone.”

Indeed, that trio matched Iowa City almost point for point to preserve an 8-point win.  Saturday, Hubbell scored 22nd (19:31), Allie Vaughn 39th (19:47), and Miller 41st (19:51).

Father Jim also praised Flood and Decker for their leadership.  “They’ve really shrunk away from individual accolades,” he said.  “They’ve gotten into the mode of making the other kids better.”

Those individual accolades will keep coming, though.  Without a lot of out of state competition and with times not quite up to their best most of the year, Flood and Decker haven’t been mentioned in the same breath as the Sveinssons, Goethals, and Cuffes of the world.  But with both – especially Flood – looking faster and stronger than ever, why not?

“We’ve trained really hard and I feel really strong,” said Flood.  “So far this season has been really smooth (injury-wise, compared to 2008).  I’m really looking forward to racing some of the other girls.”

At this point, Flood and Decker are both planning to race Foot Locker Midwest, then make a decision (if they qualify) if they will do Foot Locker Finals in addition to NXN – but there’s no doubt they will be in Portland again.

For Elk River, though, it will be the first time – thanks to the potent 1-2 punch of seniors Bates and Aspengren (photo, left, by Brent Madison), and the “Red Wedge,” which is the name that has been given to the team’s 3rd-7th runners.  The first two ran 18:22 and 18:26, while the final five – Chelsea Schlegel, Victoria Janasz, Jane Kallemeyn, Erin Ness, and Anna Haugen – all ran between 19:41 and 20:14.  

“This is just the third year we’d made it to states (8th in 2008),” said Bates.  “But this year we have a lot of new girls, and younger girls.  All fall we realized we could be pretty good.  It’s great (as a senior) to leave off on a good note.”

The “leaving on a good note” was a similar theme for two of the five individual qualifiers.  In 4th, Winnebago Lutheran Acad. sr. Marya Haegler (unatt.), Wisconsin D3 champ, ran 18:10.73 while the 18:26.53 from Perham MN sr Maddie McClennan (Perham CC Club) was good for 8th – both careers getting extended by at last one race.  Haegler, in particular, was impressive in a come-from-behind effort.

But the other three are just getting going.  Sioux City East jr Shelby Houlihan (unatt.) is best known for her 2:08 800 skills, but this fall has gotten better and better in the overland game.  She chased the Dowling duo best – but then she has experience doing so, including her fast 3rd at the Iowa 4A state meet.  Saturday, she was 3rd in 18:05.59, a position she held almost all the way.

Then there was Maria Hauger, the Shakopee MN (Shakopee RC) frosh who just won AA state ahead of Bates last week, finishing 5th in 18:16.24.  Finally, Griswold IA 8th-grader Rebekah Topham (unatt.), who does not yet run varsity XC in Iowa, got the last qualifier with 18:28.37 in 9th.

More from the Boys Championship coming ...

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