Brainerd Takes Section Title as Moorhead Falls Short in Cross Country
The Brainerd boys and St. Michael-Albertville girls secured championships at the Minnesota Section 8AAA meet, while Moorhead athletes posted mixed individual results.
By Grace Sullivan ·
Jonathan Cowell of Brainerd crossed the finish line in 15:36.3 to claim the individual title at the Minnesota Section 8AAA cross country championships held Thursday at Bluestem in Moorhead. His victory helped lead the Brainerd boys to a team championship, finishing with 43 points against Alexandria’s 45.
The race took place on October 29. Cowell was followed at the finish by Judah Beck of St. Cloud Tech in 15:40.0 and Cohen Lussenden of Alexandria in 15:46.8. The Brainerd squad also benefited from strong showings by Taiden Meier, Beckett Miller, Nolan Kalthoff, and Eli Kotsmith, who placed fifth, tenth, thirteenth, and fourteenth, respectively. Bemidji finished third with 102 points, and St. Michael-Albertville followed with 114.
For Moorhead, Kade Polomny was the top finisher, crossing in ninth place with a time of 16:11.5. Conner Copeland placed sixteenth in 16:27.6. Other Moorhead runners included Dylan Riepe in 30th, Spencer Polomny in 33rd, Jonathan Nelson in 39th, Evan Miller in 44th, and Joshua Anderson in 47th. The team finished fifth overall with 127 points, behind St. Cloud Tech’s 128.
In the girls’ division, St. Michael-Albertville dominated the team race with 30 points. Mackenzie Myran won the individual title with a time of 17:34.4. She was joined on the podium by Sophie Miller in second at 18:17.5 and Abigayle Vossen in third at 18:29.4. All three winners finished for St. Michael-Albertville. Brainerd took the silver medal in the team standings with 87 points, while Moorhead placed third with 106.
Sophia Johnson was the leading runner for the Moorhead girls, finishing sixth in 18:46.0. Isabelle Lockhart placed 14th in 19:21.3. Audrey Humeniuk, Ellie Rossland, Ava Stout, Lauren Gess, and Barrett Sokness finished 26th, 29th, 31st, 37th, and 40th, respectively. Alexandria’s team score was 112, and Bemidji finished fifth with 125.
The Section 8AAA meet concludes the state qualification process for this group. Athletes who place in the top of the state rankings will advance to the state tournaments. The results stand as recorded in the official scoreboard released by the organizing committee on October 30.
