Humboldt girls advance to state cross country!
The Humboldt girls' cross country qualified for the state championships after winning the team title in a qualifying meet at Spencer on Oct. 19. Team members pictured, from left: Kallie Nilles, Elizabeth Hildreth, Bryce Gidel, Shelby Hayden, Isabella Luu, Katelyn Skow, Madeleine Ruzicka, Kirstyn Beaman, Gabby Kent, Tabitha Jergens and Lauren Erickson. Independent photo by Phil Monson.
Led by Bryce Gidel's first-place individual finish, the Humboldt High girls' cross country team earned another trip to the state championships after winning the team title in a state-qualifying meet in Spencer on Thursday, Oct. 19.
The Wildcats, who have won the team title in every meet they've competed in for the 2017 season, totaled 57 points to claim the top spot. Spencer was second at 79 and Bishop Heelan Catholic of Sioux City was third with 85 points. The top three teams advance to the state meet, along with the top 15 individual runners.
Gidel finished first in 19:16.34 while teammate Gabby Kent ran third in 19:59.32. Isabella Luu was 11th in 20:24.89 and Lauren Erickson ran 19th in 21:07.94. Elizabeth Hildreth was 23rd while Madeleine Ruzicka was 30th and Kallie Nilles ran 37th to round out Humboldt's lineup for the day.
Quinton Orr will be the lone entry for the Humboldt boys' team in the state meet. Orr ran fifth overall in 16:56.03 to lead the Wildcat boys in the qualifying meet. Humboldt came up short of qualifying for state as a team by placing fourth with 127 points. Gilbert (28), Sergeant Bluff-Luton (86) and Clear Lake (96) claimed the top three spots to advance to state. Next in line for Humboldt was senior Denny Pederson, who finished 17th overall in 17:43.12 and Joe Kunert was 18th in 17:46.15. Noah Helmer ran 41st, Isaac Thurm 46th and Devon Coon 47th. Calvin Carlson was 73rd to round out the Wildcat performance.
The Class 3A state championships will be held at Lakeside Golf Course north of Fort Dodge on Saturday, Oct. 28, with the girls race starting at 12 noon and the boys to follow at 12:30.
See full story, with results, interviews and action photos in the Humboldt Independent Newspaper. Subscribe today for print/digital access to the Independent by selecting the link on this page to get started!
