High school cross-country 2023: Season starts at St. Olaf but no longer ends there

Minneapolis Southwest senior Sam Scott worried about the quality of competition in the recent St. Olaf Showcase but found just enough to set a new standard in the cross-country event.

Scott covered the 5,000-meter course in 15 minutes, 16.50 seconds, crushing the previous record (set in 2022) by almost 10 seconds. Formerly a who's-who collection of top teams and individuals, the St. Olaf Showcase dipped in popularity this year. That is because the high school cross-country state meet is leaving St. Olaf College in Northfield after 30 years for a return to the University of Minnesota's Les Bolstad Golf Course in November.

Scott, who placed second at the Class 3A state meet last fall, was glad to see Chaska senior Nolan Sutter on Aug. 31 at the St. Olaf Showcase. Sutter finished fifth at state and battled Scott for the first 2 miles of their first and only race in Northfield this season. Sutter's finish of 15:32.60 stands fourth all time.

"I was grateful to have someone to run with, and I think we helped push each other to a better race," Scott said.

Scott earned the top spot in the coaches association's initial Class 3A poll, two places ahead of Sutter. Holding down the No. 2 ranking is Roseville junior Robert Mechura. He set a Minnesota sophomore record with a converted time of 8:56.74 in the 3,200-meter race at the Nike Outdoor Nationals in June.

"He's extremely fast, and I'm sure he will be very competitive this year," Scott said.

Wayzata teammates Will Weber (fourth) and Daniel McCollor (fifth) are two big reasons the Trojans are atop the team rankings and favored to capture a third consecutive Class 3A state title.

In Class 2A, Mankato East is expected to repeat as champion after winning the first state title in program history. The Cougars' top runner, senior Isaiah Anderson, was featured in the Star Tribune after finishing last at the 2019 Class 2A cross-country state meet as an eighth-grader.

Those humble beginnings are long gone. Anderson paced Mankato East's state championship performance. The Cougars topped Rock Ridge by two points (111-113) giving Anderson and his returning crew ample motivation.

"It makes me want to push harder and help my team widen the gap by quite a bit this year," said Anderson, who has recovered from an avulsion fracture in his pelvis suffered during spring track and field season.

A much less serious injury required Robbinsdale Armstrong senior Caitlyn Osanai to seek medical attention after her St. Olaf Showcase victory. She ran her first meet of the season in spikes she had never worn and paid the price with bleeding blisters.

"I was trying to scare the competition," she joked as she showed off her white spikes with new pink and red blotches on the heels.

Osanai started the race with a more conservative approach until taking the lead at almost the 2-mile mark.

"I was debating if I wanted to stay with them or keep the momentum going," said Osanai, ranked ninth in the preseason Class 3A coaches poll. "I thought, 'Well, I made my move; now I have to keep my lead. There's no turning back.' "

She won with a time of 18:55, the 17th-fastest time in St. Olaf Showcase history. Osanai knew the meet did not include top runners, nor other top teams such as fellow Section 6 competitors Edina and Wayzata, and kept the appropriate perspective.

"It was a little disappointing realizing there wasn't a ton of teams here like last year," said Osanai, who moved up to seventh in the latest coaches rankings. "But a win is a win."

Defending Class 3A state champion Wayzata is ranked first among teams, ahead of Minnetonka, Duluth East, Edina and Prior Lake. The individuals are led by Hopkins junior and defending state meet runner-up Sydney Drevlow, Bemidji senior Mia Hoffmann, Chanhassen senior Marissa Long, Minnetonka junior Avery Marasco-Johnson and Wayzata sophomore Jazleen Malherek-Osorio.

In Class 2A, two-time defending state champion St. Paul Highland Park remained No. 1 in the preseason rankings despite the absence of 2022 state champion Luna Scorzelli. The senior suffered a sacral fracture and is still working her way back to top form. She hopes to rejoin juniors Ellie Moore, Samantha Palm, Grace Lewis-Mosher and Hanna Koch — all veterans of last season's state meet.

By the Minnesota Cross Country Coaches Association

BOYS

Class 3A

Teams: 1. Wayzata; 2. Minnetonka; 3. Mounds View; 4. Edina; 5. Bloomington Jefferson; 6. Stillwater; 7. Rosemount; 8. Eden Prairie; 9. Minneapolis Southwest; 10. Hopkins.

Individuals: 1. Sam Scott, Minneapolis Southwest; 2. Robert Mechura, Roseville; 3. Nolan Sutter, Chaska; 4. Will Weber, Wayzata; 5. Daniel McCollor, Wayzata; 6. Sean Fries, Minnetonka; 7. Cade Sanvik, Osseo; 8. Landon Hering, Hopkins; 9. Luke Williams, White Bear Lake; 10. River Santiago, Blaine.

Class 2A

Teams: 1. Mankato East; 2. Perham; 3. Marshall; 4. Orono; 5. Belle Plaine; 6. Blake; 7. Mankato West; 8. Willmar; 9. Delano; 10. Fergus Falls.

Individuals: 1. Bjorn Anderson, Perham; 2. Eli Hall, Pequot Lakes; 3. Sully Anez, Willmar; 4. Sal Wirth, Annandale; 5. Isaiah Anderson, Mankato East; 6. Fanuel Wolday, Worthington; 7. David Obst, Kasson-Mantorville; 8. Ephraim Staley, Mankato West; 9. Shamore Brinda, Blake; 10. Owen Hirt, Orono.

Class 1A

Teams: 1. Luverne; 2. Heritage Christian; 3. Bertha-Hewitt; 4. Redwood Valley; 5. Park Rapids Area; 6. Greenway/Nashwauk-Keewatin; 7. St. John's Prep; 8. Winona Cotter; 9. St. Cloud Cathedral; 10. Mankato Loyola/Cleveland.

Individuals: 1. Will Ahrens, Redwood Valley; 2. Owen Janiszeski, Luverne; 3. Noah Huot, Park Rapids Area; 4. Charlie Larson, Pelican Rapids; 5. Brady Rach, Bertha-Hewitt; 6. Mark Swanson, Northwest Nighthawks; 7. Kody Wassman, Mountain Lake Area; 8. Josiah DeMaris, Madelia; 9. Ryan Fick, Luverne; 10. Cole Arens, Wabasha-Kellogg.

GIRLS

Class 3A

Teams: 1. Wayzata; 2. Minnetonka; 3. Duluth East; 4. Edina; 5. Prior Lake; 6. Woodbury; 7. Centennial; 8. Hopkins; 9. Bloomington Jefferson; 10. Eagan.

Individuals: 1. Sydney Drevlow, Hopkins; 2. Mia Hoffmann, Bemidji; 3. Marissa Long, Chanhassen; 4. Avery Marasco-Johnson, Minnetonka; 5. Jazleen Malherek-Osorio, Wayzata; 6. Carley Lamotte, Burnsville; 7. Caitlyn Osanai, Armstrong; 8. Linnea Ousdigian, Mounds View; 9. Evie Malec, Minnetonka; 10. Miley Clark, Wayzata.

Class 2A

Teams: 1. St. Paul Highland Park; 2. Marshall; 3. Perham; 4. Alexandria; 5. Willmar; 6. Blake; 7. Northfield; 8. Becker; 9. Monticello; 10. Rocori.

Individuals: 1. Isabel Mahoney, Monticello; 2. Isabelle Schmitz, Hutchinson; 3. Luna Scorzelli, St. Paul Highland Park; 4. Allyson Sample, Marshall; 5. Calia Chaney, Pequot Lakes; 6. Macy Hanson, Fairmont; 7. Lauren Eilers, Willmar; 8. Kaia Osmundson, Chisago Lakes; 9. Erica Kazin, Delano; 10. Annika Hall, Chisago Lakes.

Class 1A

Teams: 1. St. Cloud Cathedral; 2. Staples-Motley; 3. Redwood Valley; 4. Canby; 5. Wadena-Deer Creek; 6. Northwest Nighthawks; 7. Winona Cotter; 8. Rochester Lourdes; 9. Lake City; 10. Nova Classical.

Individuals: 1. Jenna DeBates, Luverne; 2. Audrey Brownell, Staples-Motley; 3. Ella Voit, St. Cloud Cathedral; 4. Addison Hoof, Lester Prairie; 5. Kyanna Burton, Staples-Motley; 6. Clara Schad, St. Cloud Cathedral; 7. Sonja Semling, Winona Cotter; 8. Kaylee Walklin, Windom Area; 9. Caroline Kuehne, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle; 10. Greta Long, Eagle Ridge.