The great watermelon relay winners at Wayzata Beach
The softest hands at the summer running camp! Showing the winning unbroken egg in the egg toss competition.
Some pretty intimidating ladies! Winners of the tug-o-war. Lauren, nice guns!
Three legged race winners. Way to finish the camp with a bang!
Taking 2nd to NCAA champion Raevyn Rogers, Ruby qualified for the Pan Am games later in July.
Looking cool and calm in 95 degree heat!
Below is the first rankings for one of the major web-sites that does a nice job doing this. We are ranked 12th with Edina and Wilmar close behind. Minnetonka is a pre-season number 1 in the Minnesota poll. Four great teams starting the 2015 season.
1. GREAT OAK HS, TEMECULA, CALIFORNIA
US#2 last season with an entirely underclassman team. Return the deepest team in US Prep History, we've thrown that title around in the past...this team, IS THE REAL DEAL! Expect every course record to fall enroute to a National Team Championship. GO can't be stopped. GO also is riding high from a US#2 alltime Postal 5x3200m national championship averaging 10:33.81 less than 2 seconds from the '04-05 Saratoga Springs record 10:31.05. Great Oak returns everyone and should shatter that mark next spring.
Key Leaders:Destiny Collins,12, 4:40.34/9:53.79; Kiyena Beatty,11, 4:56.21/10:36.20; Sydney Belus,11, 4:50.26/10:42.76; Evelyn Mandel,11, 4:55.79/10:47.85; Sandra Pflughoft,10, 5:07/10:48.46; Desi Stinger,12, 5:09.46/10:48.97; Emily Clause,12, 5:07.86/10:53.91; Nicole Rice,11, 11:06.86; Taylor Walker,12, 11:09.36.
2. SARATOGA SPRINGS HS, SARATOGA SPRINGS, NEW YORK
Prior to the FM streak the team of the century was Saratoga Springs. With a completely underclassman team Toga is built for the future. Paris Fenhoff and Kelsey Chmeil who ran as super-8th graders last season move up bringing a spotlight back to THE program.
Key Leaders:Gabby Robens,12, 10:24.34c; Paris Fenhoff,9, 10:53.75c; Kelsey Chmiel, 9, 10:41.13c; Peyton Engborg,10, 11:02.23c; Amelia Mahoney,12;Carley Vetter,10;Samantha Vetter,10; Caroline Starace,10
3. AMERICAN FORK HS, AMERICAN FORK, UTAH
No program has been chomping at the bit like American Fork, last seasons NXN experience will suit this team well as they are all underclassmen. Cavemen girls make a run at the national title this year and for many more to come.
Key Leaders:Sara Musselman,11, 5:03.20/10:55.28; Lexi Wright,10, 5:06.6/11:09.62; Cami Squires,11, 5:13.31/11:12.12; Samantha Hollingsworth,11, 11:13.15; Katie Cornell,12, 5:10
4. DESERT VISTA HS, PHOENIX, ARIZONA
Key Returners:Bailey Jones,11, 4:55.78/10:36.68; Amanda Davis,11, 4:55.98/11:08.37; Haley Wolf,10, 10:59.85; Emily Crall,11, 11:05.55; Mason Swenson,12; Madeline Bucci,11.
Key Leaders:Aubrey Argyle,11, 4:57.30/10:30.66; Courtney Wayment,12, 4:59.14/10:40.24; Ally Geisler,11, 5:05.79; Miah Weaver,11, 5:11.25/11:08.20; Sam Hedquist,12, 5:24.63/11:28.58
6. LAKE BRADDOCK SECONDARY HS, BURKE, VIRGINIA
Key Leaders:Kate Murphy,11, 4:46.99/10:30.82; Sarah Daniels,10, 11:05.37; Daly Ferguson,12, 11:13.14; Sonya Butseva,12, 11:07.71; Madison Tippet,11, 5:10.83; Emily Schiesl,11, 11:17.93
7. NAPERVILLE NORTH HS, NAPERVILLE, ILLINOIS
Key Leaders:Claire Hamilton,11, 4:57.32/10:59.76; Sara Schmidt,10, 5:09.88/10:50.06; Judy Pendergast,12, 4:56.53/10:34.55; Emory Griffin,12, 5:13.22; Jenny Gibson,12, 5:17.12; Natalie Dunnett,10.
8. FAYETTEVILLE MANLIUS HS, MANLIUS, NEW YORK
Key Leaders:Jenna Farrell,12, 10:09.09 3k; Sophie Ryan,10, 10:06.17 3k; Phoebe White,8,4:53.93 1500m as 7th grade; This is the first year in a decade FM is a complete unknown will they even qualify for NXN?
9. NORTHVILLE HS, NORTHVILLE, MICHIGAN
Key Leaders:Lexa Barrott,12, 10:37.52; CaylaEckenroth,11, 10:42.70; Emma Herrmann,12, 11:13.33; Ana Barrott,10, 11:22.40; Haley Harris,12, 18:32 XC 5k
10. CHERRY CREEK HS, ENGLEWOOD, COLORADO
Key Leaders:Devon Peterson,11, 11:21.11; Lillian Markusch,12, 11:03.33; Katie Plomondon,12; Anne Raymond,12; Kiera Pelletier,12.
11. LEWISVILLE HEBRON HS, CARROLLTON, TEXAS
Key Leaders:Laura Fairchild,10, 5:02.47/11:08; Anna Elkin,12, 5:03.87/11:00; Sarah Fairchild,12, 11:11; Abby Riordan,10; Amanda Case,11; Amanda Pettigrew,11.
12. WAYZATA HS, PLYMOUTH, MINNESOTA
Key Leaders:Michaela Keller-Miller,12; 11:00.28; Melissa Drenckhahn,12, 11:20; Annika Lerdall,12, 5:12.60; Jaycie Thomsen,11, 5:15.80; Ruby Stauber,12, 2:08.71; Samantha Lettenberger,11.
13. SAUGUS HS, SANTA CLARITA, CALIFORNIA
Key Leaders:Ashley Heys,12, 5:02.23/10:51.07; Mariah Castillo,10, 5:07.85/10:48.96; Kaylee Thompson,11, 5:16.61/11:04.55; Sydney Suarez,12, 11:11.22; Savannah Sehenuk,11; Abby Davis,10.
14. LEWISVILLE MARCUS HS, FLOWER MOUND, TEXAS
Key Leaders:Maddy Reed,12, 4:52.89/10:19.36; Quinn Owen,10, 5:07.03/11:08.24; Payton Brown,12, 5:09.97/10:56.80; Ashton Hutcherson,12, 5:12.17/11:03.70.
15. SOUTHLAKE CARROLL HS, SOUTHLAKE, TEXAS
Key Leaders:Sarah Odneal,12, 5:10/11:02.84; Kayli Jones,12, 5:13.25/11:12.70; Gillian Mortimer,11; Allison Esparza,12; Catherine Tracht,10.
16. CAMAS HS, CAMAS, WASHINGTON
Key Leaders:Emma Jenkins,10, 5:00.48/10:51.59; Emily Wilson,10, 5:16.50; Maddie Woodson,12, 5:01.98; Kaylee Merritt,10, 5:22.10; Brooke Roy,10, 5:23.50; Gabrielle Postma,10.
17. EDINA HS, EDINA, MINNESOTA
Key Leaders:Amanda Mosborg,11, 5:15.87/10:58.23; Sarah Conlon,12; Emily Kompelien,10, 5:15.77/10:51.51; Julianne Logan,10; Tate Sweeney,11; Hannah Mitchell,11, 5:19.84.
18. WILLMAR HS, WILLMAR, MINNESOTA
Key Leaders:Jessa Hanson,11, 5:17.45/11:15.76; Heidi Schmitz,9; Sophie Schmitz,11, Serena Monson,9, 5:18.38; Kayla Rudie,11, 5:17.82.
19. XAVIER COLLEGE PREPARATORY HS, PHOENIX, ARIZONA
Key Leaders:Jane Miller,12, 5:17/11:11.57; Sarah Carter,11, 5:02.63/10:52.34; Shannan Higgins,12, 5:11.86; Tessa Weiss,12, 5:03.11/11:12.43; Caroline Liddy,10, 5:25.
20. NEW TRIER HS, WINNETKA, ILLINOIS
Key Leaders:Cara Keleher,11, 5:22.71/11:24.80; Caroline Fix,11, 5:14.09; Kelli Schmidt,12, 5:14.92; Molly Schmidt,11; Grace Fagan,11. .
21. LA SALLE ACADEMY HS, PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND
Key Leaders:Eliza Rego,12, 4:29.96 1500m; Karina Tavares,12, 4:40.70 1500m; Cianna Lynch,12, 10:27.60 3k; Audrey O'Neill,12, 4:55.92 1500m; Elise Papazian,12, 4:52.53 1500m.
22. COE BROWN ACADEMY HS, NORTHWOOD, NEW HAMPSHIRE
Key Leaders:Elisabeth Danis,12, 5:01.03; Brooke Laskowsky,12, 5:09.38; Alli Pratt,11, 5:11.52; Julia Cormier,11, 5:23.20; Meg Scannell,12, 5:15.32.
23. THE BOLLES HS, JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA
Key Leaders:MacKenzie Wilson,12, 5:03/10:50.95; Ally Hajda,11, 5:06.60/11:03.79; Rachel Shapiro,10, 5:15.81/11:09.89; Caitlyn Collier,10, 4:59.60; Suzanne Dannheim,12, 5:14.63.
24. GREEN HOPE HS, CARY, NORTH CAROLINA
Key Leaders:Elly Henes,12, 4:56.41/10:32.97; Morgan Adams,12, 11:03.01; Katie Tomasi,12, 5:16.92/11:02.38; Kayla Hall,12, 5:18.58; Kelly Fitzgerald,11; Emily Jordan,11, 5:20.79.
25. PALOS VERDES HS, PALOS VERDES ESTATES, CALIFORNIA
Key Leaders:Jacquelyn Smith,12, 4:48.33/10:45.69; Camille Hines,11, 4:59.07/11:11.20; Alexandra Regan,11, 5:24.89; Abbey Watson,12; Lauren Bourgeois,12, Olivia Polischeck,11.
It is never too early to start looking at the 2015 cross country season. Here is a very, very rudimentary statistical analysis for the upcoming season. Keep in mind that I used the state meet course to weight each section. In some cases I added time to section meet times and others I took time away. I also subtracted seniors and scored teams through 7 runners so team depth was rewarded.
Minnetonka starts at the top of the heap as they have everyone back. They are young and talented and probably would have been a top 5 team this past season at the state meet if not for section 6AA. Edina, Wayzata, and Willmar all lose a key member of their squads, but return 6 of 7 to make the top 4 too close to call at this point.
Teams on the rise are White Bear Lake, Austin, Duluth East, and Shakopee.
2015 Girls Power Rankings 62 Becker 2990
1 Minnetonka 417 63 Northfield 3007
2 Edina 423 64 Osseo 3075
3 Wayzata 427 65 Chisago Lakes 3078
4 Willmar 467 66 Tartan 3129
5 Forest Lake 577 67 Princeton 3137
6 Lakeville South 925 68 Apple Valley 3189
7 White Bear Lake 980 69 Mankato East 3255
8 Lakeville North 1035 70 Park Center 3263
9 Shakopee 1063 71 Woodbury 3271
10 Austin 1079 72 North Branch 3274
11 Duluth East 1110 73 Rogers 3337
12 Marshall 1160 74 Highland Park 3343
13 Mahtomedi 1276 75 Detroit Lakes 3352
14 Centennial 1322 76 Roch JM 3361
15 Roseville 1340 77 Orono 3381
16 Mpls Washburn 1342 78 Blake 3457
17 Andover 1361 79 Hutchinson 3470
18 St M-A 1437 80 Delano 3473
19 East Ridge 1498 81 Park 3485
20 Rosemount 1564 82 Owatonna 3558
21 Red Wing 1602 83 Cloquet 3573
22 Waconia 1618 84 Dassel-Cokato 3577
23 St Louis Park 1670 85 Grand Rapids 3615
24 Eden Prairie 1752 86 Hastings 3651
25 Maple Grove 1798 87 Blaine 3660
26 Eastview 1803 88 St Anthony Vill 3688
27 Mankato West 1854 89 Albert Lea 3719
28 Buffalo 1858 90 Little Falls 3818
29 Chanhassen 1892 91 Hill-Murray 3826
30 Winona 1938 92 Hibbing 3841
31 Elk River 1963 93 Thief River Falls 3854
32 Alexandria 2018 94 St Paul Central 3892
33 Eagan 2060 95 Rocori 3900
34 Henry Sibley 2084 96 Spring Lake Park 4113
35 Montecello 2108 97 Mpls South 4192
36 Stillwater 2149 98 Cooper 4238
37 St Cloud Tech 2204 99 Visitation 4238
38 Bemidji 2248 100 Cambridge-Isanti 4324
39 Anoka 2261 101 Big lake 4330
40 BSM 2268 102 Zimmerman 4386
41 Jefferson 2356 103 Hermantown 4393
42 South St. Paul 2400 104 Worthington 4445
43 Hopkins 2407 105 Mound-West 4509
44 Sartell 2413 106 Holy Angels 4538
45 Coon Rapids 2527 107 St Cloud Apollo 4595
46 Totino-Grace 2595 108 St Francis 4602
47 Moorhead 2598 109 Sauk Rapids/Rice 4636
48 Faribault 2612 110 St Paul Como 4925
49 Prior Lake 2630 111 DeLaSalle4986
50 Chaska 2644 112 Cretin-DH5000
51 Roch Century 2656 113 Zum-Mez/Ken5087
52 Mounds View 2657 114 Richfield5133
53 Irondale 2694 115 Kasson-Mant5173
54 Armstrong 2779 116 Simley5203
55 Roch Mayo 2849 117 Fergus Falls 5252
56 Burnsville 2862 118 Wash Magnet 5603
57 Champlin Park 2862 119 Bloom Kennedy Inc
58 North St Paul 2863 120 Fridley Inc
59 Brainerd 2926 121 Mpls Henry Inc
60 New Prague 2936 122 Mpls Southwest Inc
61 Farmington 2939 123 Duluth Denfeld Inc
Bill thinking about taking my money on poker night!
I first came in contact with Bill as an athlete back in the 70's. I was running for Anoka HS at the time and we were pretty darn good. We were led by a senior named Mark Nenow who came out for the sport reluctantly by his buddies. He had run a frisky 3200 the spring of his junior year and he figured to be of some help his senior year. The rest is history as he went on to win the state title in his first season during the year of 1976. He would later go on to set the American Record in 1986 for the 10,000 meters that would stand until 2001.
While our squad was running well and having visions of a possible state championship, a powerhouse was being put together at Cretin High School by one Bill Miles. At the time we did not realize it, but I believe most of his charges would go on to be multiple All-Americans in college. Time does not serve me well in exact remembrance, but lets just say these guys were flat out studs!
When the dust settled at the state meet we had taken 3rd, with a great Osseo team 2nd and of course the hated Cretin boys at the top of the podium. All three teams had great runners that would go on to make an impact in the running community. Don Hurley on that Cretin team would later be in my wedding an I in his.
As I gravitated to coaching during college, Bill would make the move to Wayzata high school. Interestingly, he narrowly missed a state championship not with the boys, but with the girls in 1979. Owatonna beat Wayzata by 2 points for the win.
During the 80's, I had a multiple coaching experiences moving from high school to college and back to high school again. When I came on board at Wayzata in 1992, the boys had risen to the top of the cross country food chain in Minnesota. That is where they have stayed for 25 years.
In the last few years we have had a nice little run on the girls side. When I am asked what has been the reason for this, I say it is because we have built a better sense of team. We run for a purpose greater than just championships. We run for each other. For most of my coaching career this was lost on me, in looking back, this was always the bedrock of the Bill Miles coaching philosophy.
Coaches, if you want to know the secret of the success of Bill Miles, and would like some inside scoop, here it is:
-Stay up all night typing up results even when you have to teach AP history the next day, so your boys can have them early the next day. (It usually takes me much longer)
-Be meticulous in you organization having an itinerary for just about everything.
-Know all 5 thousand of your runners names so they feel special. (I can't remember names, everyone sounds like Melissa)
-Love the beauty that is the very essence of distance running and be able to convey that to your athletes.
-Be in awe of others and honor them as he does and know that yours is not the only game in town.
-Create a safe place for belonging that everyone has a chance to contribute.
-Never stop learning and not be afraid to try new things.
I wish I had a greater gift as a wordsmith because these words don't seem to quite convey what I want, oh well, at least I gave it a shot! Thanks Bill for leading the way and having a lot to do in the success of our girls.
Dave Emmans
The boys and girls posing after the girls take 6th and the boys take 2nd at Nationals. A great day for both teams as Wayzata cross country continue to excel.
Annika Lerdall and Michaela Keller-Miller moving through the field at NXN. Looking good in orange!
Team highlight photo montage video from the 2014 NXN National cross country meet held 12/6/14 in Portland, OR. All photos courtesy of the athletes, parents, Kraig Lungstrom at http://kraiglungstrom.zenfolio.com/, and Lance Elliott at http://www.lanceelliott.com/. Music by U2: "MLK" and Matchbox Twenty: "Bright Lights". Full Results at: http://nxn.runnerspace.com/eprofile.php?do=title&title_id=187&event_id=13
Password: Together
Coming of of their third straight Minnesota state title, the Wayzata girls ran a near flawless race to win the Nike Heartland region title. It was the third year in a row that the Lady Trojans have ran at the national meet finishing seventh two years ago and capturing the national title last year. It's been a somewhat rebuilding year for the girls as four new young ladies will gain the Nike experience.
The Trojans were led by Anna French as she lowered her all-time best in the 5k to 17:38, taking 5th place. The race was especially gratifying for Anna as she convincingly turned the tables on Tess Misgen, Emma Benner, and Emily Covert from the state meet. Anna was followed by the one-two punch of Michaela Keller-Miller and Annika Lerdall, finishing 16th and 18th respectively. Putting three in the top 18 was too much for Willmar and Edina as they battled for 2nd place and a national meet birth.
Following the three battle-hardened veterans was Jaycie Thomsen, quite possibly running her best race ever. She covered the Sioux Falls course in an outstanding 5k time of 18:49 and kept her steady improvement this year on a roll. Filling out the top 5 was the amazing Sam Lettenberger, a rookie that seems to never put limits on herself. To almost break 19 minutes as a rookie on a very pressurized stage was phenomenal!
Rounding out the top 7 was the ever-improving Melissa Drenckhahn smashing her time from the previous year by 1:28 and two years a go by a whopping 3 minutes! Ninth-grader Ellie Emerick gained much needed experience running in the 7th slot. She has come a long way this year and leads a great young contingent of runners ready to take on the mantle of what Wayzata girls cross country has become.
In the Black race, the event for up-and-coming young runners, the competition was again dominated by Wayzata, not only winning, but placing three teams in the top 9! Gina Kalkar was the top Wayzata runner of the day. A complete list of athletes can be found in the results here:
http://www.runnerspace.com/nxnhl
The art of peaking goes far beyond running your best times of the year. You also have to match the physical demands of running with the mental stress that big races create. The Wayzata girls blended the two beautifully as they were the first team to win three state titles in a row since the Duluth East dynasty of the 90's. The ladies ran four PR's which is extremely hard to do as race conditions many times do not match a best performance.
The team was led by Anna French who made a valiant effort to run with the Hasz sisters of Alexandria, who have become a powerhouse duo. Anna finished 7th going through the mile in 5:18, her fastest opening mile of her career. She probably gave up a few positions at the finish, but Anna showed a courageous spirit that any coach would have been proud of.
Following Anna was Annika Lerdall finishing 8th over-all, followed closely by Michaela Keller-Miller in 11th place. The trio actually scored less team points than last years top three, which provided a much needed cushion for their rookie state meet teammates. Both Annika and Michaela saved their best races of their careers for this years state meet, running personal bests on a day that looked as if the lady Trojans would have no margin for error.
As it turned out, the inexperienced four of Jaycie Thomsen, Sam Lettenberger, Melissa Drenckhahn, and Ellie Emerick stepped up big providing the support needed for the girls to win by 29 points. Thomsen provided the same consistent performance that she has produced all year. She pulled Lettenberger and Drenckhahn to new personal bests.
The ladies will now set their sites on a third trip to Oregon for Nike Nationals. But first, they will have to reprise their state meet effort over a 5k course in Sioux Falls, SD. The best teams from the Heartland region will come together Nov. 9th vying for the coveted trip out west.
Anna French finishing her last state meet of her career. She has led the Trojans to three state titles and a national championship.
Annika Lerdall and Michaela Keller-Miller running to 8th and 11th respectively. This was the third all-state honor for Michaela and second for Annika.
Jaycie Thomsen, followed by Sam Lettenberger over her right shoulder. Behind the pair is Melissa Drenckhahn and Ellie Emerick. This was the first state meet for the foursome and have grown by leaps and bounds this season.
The State Champs with all of their captains on the winners stage. .
The second year in a row both the boys and girls teams have captured state titles.
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