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Otters Wellman Qualifies for AA Girls State Cross Country Meet

By Craig Olson, 10/28/21, 11:00PM CDT

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Fergus Falls seventh-grader Cassie Wellman (19:46.4) qualified for the State AA Cross Country meet with her sixth place finish on Thursday at the Section 8AA meet in Alexandria.  The Otters girls took seventh place in a field of 12 teams, recording a team score of 187.  Willmar won the team competition with 45 points and Alexandria was second with 55.

“Cassie ran a solid time on a challenging course,” reported Fergus Falls Head Coach Niki Welde.  “This is a hard earned trip.  Her hard work and focus has brought her to this point.  I am so proud of her and excited that she is able to travel down to St. Olaf as a seventh-grader.  This experience will benefit her in years to come.”

Captain Ainsley Hansen (22:14.3) ran second for the Otters, followed by Julia Anderson (22:31.7), Becca Schindler (22:35.1) and Naomi Dummer (22:36.9).

“Ainsley has had an excellent season and career with the Otters,” said Welde.  “She has shown to be an excellent leader for our team.  Julia ran her best race of the season.  Sarah Grotberg (23:48.4) and Hannah Scharnberg (23:51.6) ran in our sixth and seventh positions in this race.  All of these girls worked together as a solid team to accomplish a fantastic finish in the Section 8AA meet.”

Olivia Goebel of Albany was the individual champion with a time of 18:25.1.  Runner-up honors went to Lauren Eilers (18:40.3) of Willmar.  They were followed by Calia Chaney (18:42.2) of Pequot Lakes, and two Alexandria runners, Aleah Miller (18:50.9) and Emma Ecker (19:08.5).

Other members of the Alexandria team who are headed to state include Jaelyn Miller (19:53.2), Brynn Kosters (20:20.4), Giselle Jahner (20:35.3), Brynn Cross (21:54.7) and Bobbi Nichols (22:05.8).

Full results can be found at www.pickleevents.com.