Perham Girls Cross Country Finishes Second At State, Staples-Motley Wins Class A Title

NORTHFIELD, MN (KDLM) – The Perham Girls Cross Country team took second place at the 2021 Class A Girls Cross Country meet at St. Olaf on Saturday afternoon.

Eighth-grader Gracie Morris was the first Yellowjacket across the finish line on Saturday, finishing in her first State cross country meet with a time of 19: 17.65. Junior Quincy Anderson was the second Perham runner in, finishing in 25th place with a time of 20:10.82. As a team, Perham finished with a score of 109, six points behind Class A Champion Staples-Motley.

The Cardinals won the Class A title with 103 points, led by sophomore Kyanna Burton (fourth place, 19:08.10), junior Aften Robinson (tenth place, 19:26.67), and eighth-grader Audrey Brownell (13th place, 19:39.36) all placing in the top 15.  The win is Staples-Motley’s first state championship since 2003.

The Hawley Nuggets, in their second-ever state appearance, finished in fourth place. Paula Heide led the Nuggets with an 18th place finish and a time of 19:55.79.

The Class A race was won by Murray County Central junior Amanda Overgaauw with a time of 18:09.13.

2021 CLASS A STATE CROSS COUNTRY – GIRLS TEAM RESULTS

1. Staples-Motley, 103
2. Perham, 109
3. Luverne, 117
4. Hawley, 161
5. St. Cloud Cathedral, 161
6. Murray County Central, 165
7. Minnewaska Area, 165
8. Lake City, 226
9. Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted, 229
10. Math & Science Academy (Woodbury), 241
11. Cotter, 245
12. South Ridge, 287
13. Providence Academy, 290
14. Carlton-Wrenshall, 302
15. Lester Prairie, 322
16. St. James Area, 388

LOCAL INDIVIDUAL RESULTS:

4. Kyanna Burton, Staples-Motley – 19:08.10

5. Jade Rypkema, Nevis – 19:16.04

7. Caroline Kuehne, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle – 19:16.35

8. Gracie Morris, Perham – 19:17.65

10. Aften Robinson, Staples-Motley – 19:26.67

13. Audrey Brownell, Staples-Motley – 19:39.36

18. Paula Heide, Hawley – 19:55.79

26. Quincy Anderson, Perham – 20.10.82

34. Ellen Schauer, Lake Park-Audubon – 20:19.42

39. Leelou Novotny, Perham – 20:25.97

45. Anjalie Aho, UNC – 20:29.64

48. Liz Birkeland, Perham – 20:30.02

52. Ivy Tickel, Hawley – 20:34.79

54. Lily Olson, Hawley – 20:38.57

55. Amber Collins, Wadena Deer Creek – 20:42.31

59. Lexi Bright, WCA – 20:47.14

64. Ashley Robben, Staples-Motley – 20:52.23

67. Kaia Starlz, Perham – 20:56.53

68. Lily Peterson, Hawley – 20:57.36

73. Avalee Brown, Perham – 21:07.76

80. Naila Mikhaeil, Staples-Motley – 21:16.48

81. Trista Baer, Hawley – 21:16.88

84. Morgan Koppelman, Park Rapids – 21:21.04

86. Terina Blascyk, WCA – 21:24.50

97. Kira Thompson, Hawley – 21:56.90

101. Kendra Miller, Bertha-Hewitt – 21:59.22

106. Sophie Schlosser, Staples-Motley – 22:07.96

122. Mia Lung, Perham – 22:52.87

142. Addisyn Cichos, Staples-Motley – 23:51.02

145. Sophie Cook, Hawley – 24:12.97