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Annika Hall put the finishing touches on a historic cross country season for Chisago Lakes on Saturday, November 7, becoming the first individual state cross country champion in school history with a dominant performance at the Class AA State Meet at Majestic Oaks Golf Course in St. Francis.

The Wildcat junior captured the girls 5,000-meter championship in 17:50.3, finishing more than 23 seconds ahead of runner-up Adeline Werner of Perham, who crossed the line in 18:13.7. Hall's victory capped off an impressive postseason that also included an individual Section 7AA championship and highlighted a memorable state meet for the Chisago Lakes program.

"Running cross country for the past five years, I have had the opportunity to run with so many talented and fast girls, some of them being state champions themselves," Hall said. "I really looked up to those people when I was younger, and I think that motivated me to work hard and achieve my goal of winning a state title."

"The moment I crossed the finish line, I was so happy to see all the years of training finally paid off, and I am so thankful for Coach [Tyler] Stettler and all of my teammates for helping me achieve this goal."

For the first time in school history, both the Wildcat boys and girls teams qualified for the state meet in the same season after sweeping the Section 7AA team championships. Both squads finished 12th out of 16 teams at state, competing against some of the best runners in Minnesota on a new, challenging championship course — as previous state meets had been held at St. Olaf College in Northfield.

"Winning the section meet as a team for both girls and boys was honestly the highlight of my season," Hall said. "Everyone has been working so hard, so to see that pay off for everyone was really something special. Having my team with me at state to support me meant the world, and I wouldn't want to have that experience with anyone else but them."

"I'm so proud of both of our teams for making school history by both making the state meet in the same season let alone having a section sweep!!" Chisago Lakes head coach Tyler Stettler said. "The new state course is no joke, it will certainly test you. We had a lot of great performances with Annika being state champion!"

While the team accomplishments were significant, Hall's individual championship was the crowning achievement of not just this season but a long career so far.

Stettler has watched Hall develop into one of the state's premier distance runners since she first joined the program as a seventh grader, and said her success is a product of both natural ability and years of dedication.

"I still remember her showing up in the summer going into seventh grade, introducing herself and running with our team and keeping up with varsity boys at that time," Stettler said. "So not only has Annika been talented but she has shown up to put in a lot of work starting at an early age."

Hall's development has also been influenced by a strong group of former Chisago Lakes runners, including Maya Aadland, Lainey Hallen, Kaia Osmundson, Lauren Kowarsch, Henry Johnson, Biruk Killeen and Kaden Osmundson, who helped establish a competitive foundation for the program.

Stettler said Hall has taken what she learned from those athletes and become a leader herself, serving as a team captain while continuing to push herself to new heights.

"Annika has soaked so much in and has taken her leadership and captain responsibilities to the next level these last two seasons," Stettler said. "She is one of a kind when it comes to drive, work ethic, and leadership abilities!"

Behind Hall, the Chisago Lakes girls finished with 304 points, placing 12th overall. Northfield won the team championship with 55 points, followed by Orono with 87 and Byron with 120.

Averiana Gellerman was the Wildcats' second finisher, placing 108th overall in 20:42.6, while Mataya Malek finished 112th in 20:45.6. Kara Hall placed 128th in 21:09.1, McKaylie Malek was 139th in 21:48.1 and Arianna Husfeldt finished 140th in 22:03.2. Emelia Gellerman rounded out the Wildcats' lineup in 149th with a time of 22:35.5.

With Hall and the entire girls squad returning next season and the program coming off one of its most successful seasons, the Wildcats will have plenty to build on moving forward.

"We had no senior girls on the team this year, so I am really just excited to see what next year holds for us!" Hall said.

"We won't take these special memories for granted and look forward to continuing to push our program to new heights!" Stettler said. "I look forward to working with Annika to continue pushing the limits of our program while helping her accomplish her next goals!"

Boys

On the boys side, Chisago Lakes finished 12th with 286 points, capping off a historic season that included the program's first Mississippi 8 Conference championship in more than a decade and a Section 7AA title.

Senior Remy Larsen led the Wildcats with a 35th-place finish in 16:12.8, recording a personal best and the fourth-fastest 5,000-meter time in school history. Larsen finished less than 10 seconds outside the top 25, narrowly missing All-State honorable mention recognition in a highly competitive field.

Senior captain Cian O'Halloran was the Wildcats' next finisher, placing 67th in 16:45.9. 

"Right there with Remy has been senior captain Cian O'Halloran," Stettler said. "State was not the time he was setting his sights on but he has been nothing but a great competitor and I know he will use this as motivation for the track season and hopefully competing at the next level!"

Nash Cooksley finished 113th overall in 17:28.5, while Samuel Heaser placed 122nd in 17:44.5. Jack Evans was 129th in 17:53.4, Zachary Yechout finished 131st in 17:55.9 and Lincoln Perry rounded out the Wildcat lineup in 146th with a time of 18:31.7.

Perham won the boys team championship with 70 points, followed by Mankato East with 99 and St. Paul Como Park with 143.

North Branch sophomore Caleb Rueter also represented Section 7AA well, finishing 32nd overall in 16:11.0, just ahead of Larsen.

For Chisago Lakes, the state meet provided a fitting conclusion to one of the most successful seasons in program history. The boys captured their first Mississippi 8 Conference championship in more than a decade before joining the girls in sweeping the Section 7AA championships and advancing to state.

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