The cross country season recently wrapped up for Sartell. Overall, it was filled with a bunch of ups and downs. Many Sabres achieved personal records (PRs), which was fun for the whole team. Here is a general overview of how the cross country season went.

To start off, this year was one for the books regarding the history of the cross-country team. This year, sixth graders were allowed to join the program, which is very rare. Not many schools do this, so it’s pretty cool. In addition, senior Seth Westrup won the Apollo Early Bird 5k race with a time of 17:30. This was the first time in a while that a varsity runner won a race for the Sabres. Sartell varsity boys also won the Tech meet and have their own trophy encased in the high school. 

The girls’ team had a fantastic year as well. Their lead runner, junior Mady Dockendorf, battled a hip injury early on in the year but ended off strong for the Sabres. She ran a time of 20:03 in the section meet and qualified for state. Junior Ashley Nelson, the girls’ second runner, also had a pretty good year. She ran a time of 20:26 which took twelfth place. Sophomore Paisley Watson battled an injury late in the year so she did not run in the section meet but still achieved a varsity letter. Last up for the high schoolers is senior Maddy Fimrite. It was Fimrite’s first year of cross country; she had a pretty good year, running a time of 23:05 during the section meet. Overall, the team placed sixth in the section.

The boys’ team had a stellar year. Junior Eli Hanson had injury problems very early in the year but that did not slow him down when it came time for sections. Eli Hanson ran a 17:08 at sections which got him 8th place and qualified him for the state meet. Another state qualifier is Seth Westrup. Westrup placed 10th at sections with a time of 17:17. The Sabre’s third runner was senior Johnny Nemeth. Nemeth ran a 17:28 during sections. Overall, the team placed fifth in the section.