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History was made at Whitefish Golf Course in Pequot Lakes on Thursday, October 29, as both the Chisago Lakes boys and girls cross country teams captured section championships, marking the first time in school history that both Wildcat squads have qualified for the state meet in the same season.

And neither team left much doubt about it, as both squads finished with identical scores of 65 points in runaway wins to claim their respective section crowns.

The girls held off Hermantown, who finished with 78 points, while Hibbing took third with 94 points. On the boys side, Chisago Lakes topped runner-up Hibbing by 19 points, with Mora finishing third at 98 points.

For the Wildcats, the historic sweep was another milestone in what has already been a memorable fall for the cross country program, which also celebrated a Mississippi 8 Conference championship on the boys side earlier in October and an individual conference title for girls runner Annika Hall.

"Our runners had such a great day running at sections!" Chisago Lakes Head Coach Tyler Stettler said.

Girls

Junior Annika Hall made sure the Wildcats got off to a strong start, cruising to the individual Section 7AA championship with a time of 17:59.8. Hall was the only runner in the field to break the 18-minute mark, finishing more than 36 seconds ahead of Hermantown's Nora Lucarelli, who took second in 18:36.5.

Hall's victory gave Chisago Lakes a valuable start in the team standings, but it was the depth behind her that ultimately secured the section championship.

"On the girls side we were seeded second coming into the meet but knew we had the right mindset and group to make a push!" Stettler said. "Annika made her move early and came away Section 7AA champion!"

Junior Averiana Gellerman turned in a personal-best time of 20:06.3 to finish 10th, while sophomore Kara Hall was right behind her in 11th with a season-best 20:26.3. Sophomore Mataya Malek added a 15th place finish in 20:43.4, giving the Wildcats four runners among the top 15 finishers.

"Averiana and Kara ran with each other most of the race and had strong finishes!" Stettler said. "They placed 10th and 11th with Averiana having a personal best and Kara having a season best time!"

"Mataya kept those two in her sights as long as she could and made a strong push at the end to catch every runner possible leading to 15th place!" Stettler added.

Junior Arianna Husfeldt rounded out the team's scoring five, finishing 28th in a season-best 21:17.1. Junior McKaylie Malek was 33rd in 21:36.1, while eighth-grader Emelia Gellerman completed the Wildcats' varsity lineup with a personal-best 22:04.5, good for 49th place.

"Our last scoring runner was Arianna who had an amazing race!" Stettler said. "She dug so deep and had such a strong surge at mile three and to the finish. She also had a season best time too! McKaylie had a season best and Emelia had another personal best."

Perhaps the most unique part of the Wildcats' championship lineup is that six of their seven varsity runners come from just three families.

Annika and Kara Hall, Averiana and Emelia Gellerman, and Mataya and McKaylie Malek give Chisago Lakes three pairs of sisters competing together on the same state-bound team.

"Having three sets of sisters on the team has been so fun!" Stettler said. "To see these girls bond and be around each other each day has been a sight! Having 16 girls on the team they become so close and I feel that having siblings on the team has helped build connections between their grades."

The family connections have helped create a close knit dynamic for the Wildcat squad.

"The younger siblings really look up to the older ones and I've heard a comment or two about trying to beat their siblings time from when they were in their grade," Stettler said. "I love the family competitiveness, and totally welcome siblings to join our cross country family!"

The Wildcats' top five runners were separated by just over three minutes, and with four finishing in the top 15, Chisago Lakes was able to withstand a strong challenge from Hermantown, which placed two runners among the top five.

"I'm so proud of how our girls ran," Stettler said. "Nothing but smiles and joy at the finish once we found out the results!"

Boys

The Chisago Lakes boys didn't have an individual section champion, but they made up for it with a tightly packed group of runners near the front of the field.

Seniors Remy Larsen and Cian O'Halloran led the charge, finishing just two-tenths of a second apart in fifth and sixth place, respectively.

Larsen crossed the finish line in 16:31.6, while O'Halloran was right on his heels at 16:31.8, giving the Wildcats a strong foundation in the team standings.

"Our boys kept on building on their strong season, pushing each other, keeping a positive mindset, and running in packs!" Stettler said. "Remy and Cian were pushing the front of the pack, finishing 5th and 6th by .2 seconds of each other!"

Junior Nash Cooksley wasn't far behind, taking 11th overall in 16:49.6, giving Chisago Lakes three runners among the first 11 finishers and putting the Wildcats in excellent position to claim the team title.

Freshman Samuel Heaser continued the strong showing with a 20th-place finish in 17:23.8, while fellow freshman Zachary Yechout completed the scoring five with a 32nd-place finish in 17:51.5.

"Nash and Sam were able to run with each other mile 1 and Nash pushed ahead to take 11th overall and Sam took 20th!" Stettler said.

Junior Jack Evans finished 46th in 18:13.8, and junior Lincoln Perry was 50th in 18:18.4 to round out the Wildcats' varsity seven.

The Wildcats' top five runners were separated by just 1:19.9, a display of the balanced lineup that helped them pull away from Hibbing in the team standings.

Hibbing had two runners finish ahead of Chisago Lakes' first runner, with Charlie Janezich taking second in 15:58.9 and Brady Janezich finishing third in 16:15.9. But the Wildcats' depth proved to be the difference, as Chisago Lakes placed three runners ahead of Hibbing's third finisher.

The section championship also continued an impressive stretch for the Wildcat boys, who earlier this fall captured their first Mississippi 8 Conference title in more than a decade.

Now, with a section championship added to their resume, the Wildcats will get an opportunity to test themselves against the best teams in Minnesota.

Rueter earns state berth for North Branch

Although North Branch wasn't able to qualify either team for state, sophomore Caleb Rueter made sure the Vikings would still have representation at the season's final meet.

Rueter turned in a personal-best time of 16:16.2 to finish fourth overall in the boys race, earning an individual trip to state.

His performance was one of the highlights of the meet for North Branch, which finished eighth in the boys team standings with 188 points.

Junior Ethan Rueter was the Vikings' next finisher, taking 37th in 18:03.5, while freshman John Steffen finished 48th in 18:15.3. Seventh-grader Uriah Horn was 51st in a personal-best 18:21.6, and eighth-grader Patrick Damiani completed the scoring five in 71st place with a time of 18:57.2.

On the girls side, North Branch finished 11th with 263 points, led by freshman Lyla Stiner, who took 14th overall in 20:31.8.

Sophomore Lily Stelmack was 43rd in 21:53.3, followed by senior Ruby Hanson in 51st with a personal-best 22:06.7.

All of the qualifying runners will take part in the Class AA state meet, which will be a Majestic Oaks Golf Course in St. Francis for the first time this year. The runners will compete on Saturday, November 7 with the girls set to go off at 2:30 p.m. and the boys set to take off at 3:15.

Annika Hall is the favorite to claim a state title in Class AA with her season best time quite a bit ahead of other runners in the class. 

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