The Big Lake boys varsity cross country runners were in good form last Tuesday, finishing third of 23 teams at the Princeton Invitational.

The Hornets finished behind Becker and Rockford with 144 points.

“After running in very warm conditions for most of the season, runners were greeted with cooler temperatures and light winds, making for strong racing conditions,” said Coach Todd Trutna.

Gavin Flavin led the way with a sixth-place finish in 16:14.

Big Lake’s next three finishers all placed in the top 25, and all three broke the 17-minute barrier. Trent Erickson took 16th in 16:43, followed by Jack Schmidt (22nd, 16:53), and The Johnson (25th, 16:58).

“Coming into the season it wasn’t a surprise that Gavin and Trent are leading the way,” said Coach Trutna. “But seeing how Theo and Jack have improved is really making the team competitive. It’s great to have four in the top 25 in a large meet like this.”

Rounding out the scoring were Eli Henning (75th, 18:08), Max Baron (85th, 18:21), and Eli Schaller (102nd, 18:48).

“Our next three runners and the top several swings on JV have been as competitive as I can remember,” said Coach Trutna.  “Many people are stepping up, which is good news for the end of the season and the future of our team.”

Girls Squad

The girls varsity team placed 15th overall with 367 points. Shay France led the way with an 18th-place finish in 19:54.

She was followed by Hazel Guldseth (66th, 22:08), Elsie Jagusch (86th, 22:52), Clara Devine (92nd, 23:03), Aubri Judge (115th, 23:58), Ainsley McGuire (118th,24:12) and Chloe Howe (131st, 25:25).

“We continue to see growth in the girls’ lineup. Shay had a great, strong, even race up front, and the rest of the team is finding ways to move up in bigger races,” said Coach Trutna. “Hazel had a big run as well, taking over a minute off her time, and when she moved up everyone behind her moved up as well.”

Over 90% of Big Lake runners on varsity and JV came away with personal records, and those who didn’t weren’t far off.

“As a team we’ve talked about being ready for the day when things will click,” said Coach Trutna. “The team was definitely ready today.”  

The Hornets competed Tuesday at the Mississippi 8 Conference Championships at The Ponds Golf Course in St. Francis, results next week.

They run in the Section 5AA Meet at St. Cloud Apollo 3 p.m. next Thursday. That meet determines which team and individual qualify for the state meet.