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With both Matt Stuber and Joe Nihart qualifying for the state tournament last week, they knew no matter the results, they’d be ending their season and careers on a high.

The pair set their goals high and made it to the most prestigious meet of the year at St. Olaf’s College in Northfield on Saturday, November 3.

Stuber was the top finisher of the two after they had nearly identical section qualifying times. He finished in 102nd place with a time of 16:49.3, which was actually faster than his section time but obviously, the competition at state is a different level.

Nihart slowed down a little from his section time, but after registering a personal best in the event, it was going to be hard to top. He finished in 146th place with a time of 17:20.6. He kept a good pace through the first 1,600 meters but lost a little bit of pace in the last parts of the race.

But, the results don’t matter near as much as the experience. Both of these hard-working seniors set their sights on the state tournament last year, and both of the acheived their goals in their last career cross country meet for North Branch.

“The boys had a great experience at the state meet,” Assistant Coach Tom Kingsland said. “Matt trimmed 10 seconds off his personal best time from sections and Joe had a respectable time and a fun experience at the state meet. It was a great way to end the season for these seniors who’ve meant so much to our program over the years.”

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