The Becker boys cross country team had adopted the motto “Conquering the Never Before” and that’s just what they did at the Section 5AA meet in Princeton last Thursday. 

Not only were they able to earn the conference title, but they were also able to earn section champions for the first time ever. 

The day started out with emotions at an all time high from the previous year’s setbacks that had them narrowly missing out on state advancements. That didn’t stop the Bulldogs from fighting through it. With a slight drizzle in the air the boys waited for the girls team to finish their race before they started theirs. 

The Bulldogs’ three 2023 state-entrants Tanner Felton, Parker Spindler and Alex Swanson managed to PR after pulling away from other top 10 runners on the course. With an 0.4 second improvement, Felton was able to secure the second place spot. One second later, Spindler crossed the finish line with a 13 second improvement. Only 1.5 seconds after Spindler, Swanson finished the race with a 16 second PR. 

Evan Hubbard was the next Bulldog runner to cross the finish line, which made a major impact on the team score as a whole. Both Holden Hubbard and Brandt Hemmelgarn raced side by side until Hubbard pulled ahead in the final mile and contributed 28 points to the team score. Hemmelgarn was able to finish in 32nd while almost beating his season best time for a PR. 

At the end of the meet awards were handed out to the Becker girls team for getting section runner-ups, which means they would move on to state. With a two point difference, the Becker boys team was announced Section 5AA Cross Country Boys Champions.