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Most teams would consider what the North Branch cross country team accomplished this year as a huge success. But, to a team that's accustomed to being on top of the North Suburban Conference, the season didn't go quite as planned.

However, there were still plenty of awards, conference and team-based, to give out at the boys and girls cross country banquet.

Ali Zimmerman, Tommy Toohey and Colin Charpentier all went home with dual awards. All three were All-NSC recipients, and all three were voted as the team's Most Valuable Runners.

Besides those three winning that prestigious award in the proud program, Ean Charpentier and Megan Zimmerman, both younger siblings of two of the MVR Award winners, won the Most Improved Runner award for the Vikings.

The Viking Award was presented to Erik Fitcha for the guys side and to Onalee Yousey on the girls team.

As for the Middle School Most Valuable Runners, Alex Fitcha and Haley Huset took home those award. The middle school awards are important, too, as those are the future faces of what could be more North Suburban Conference titles for cross country.

As for the All-Conference awards, there wasn't any surprises, as the awards are determined at the NSC Meet at the end of the regular season. The top 15 finishers in the race earn All-Conference awards, and the 16th through 30th finishers earn All-Conference Honorable Mention accolades.

On the girls side, and nearly-unheard of eight girls won some sort of award for the Vikings. The Zimmerman sisters, plus Shayna Gray and Kendra Norman earned All-NSC honors, and Alyssa Ramberg, Alyssa Kroschel, Haley Hasleiet and Carley Hinschberger all earned All-Conference Honorable Mention.

In the boys half, only Toohey and Charpentier were able to secure All-Conference awards.

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