Fischer finishes 1st at 2A meet, advances to state

BLUE EARTH -- St. Mary's/Sleepy Eye/New Ulm Cathedral senior girls' runner Clare Fischer took first at the Section 2A Cross-Country Meet at Riverside Town & Country Golf Club on Friday, earning herself a trip to the state meet.

The state meet for both girls' and boys' runners is on Nov. 6 at St. Olaf College.

Fischer's first-place time of 19:39.48 was almost 7 seconds faster than Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial/Nicollet's Grace Moeller, who took second with a time of 19:46. Also making it to the state meet after Friday's meet from the area was Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop eighth-grader Madyson Steele, who took fourth with a time of 20:12.94.

St. Mary's/Sleepy Eye/NUC's Elle Kyllonen also had a strong race, finishing 15th overall with a time of 21:58.09. GFW also had Ashley Vos (22:54.10, 27th) and Abigail Willegal (23:17.95, 30th) finish in the top 30 girls' runners.

The Lester Prairie and St. James Area girls' teams finished first and second, respectively, on Friday to earn trips to the state meet.

Qualifying for the state meet from the area boys was Madelia/Truman/GHEC/Martin Luther freshman Josiah Demaris, who finished seventh at the section meet on Friday with a time of 17:23.89.

St. Mary's/Sleepy Eye/NUC's Noah Christensen turned in a strong time also, finishing 17th with a time of 18:32.40. Minnesota Valley Lutheran's Donovan Witte took 28th on Friday with a time of 18:54.87.

The SJA and Mankato Loyola/Cleveland boys' teams finished first and second at the section meet, respectively, earning trips to state in the process.