GOOD LUCK RUNNERS AT STATE

The Andes Central/Dakota Christian Thunder Girls Cross Country Team qualified for the State Cross Country Meet last Thursday in Freeman with Isabella Brower leading the way as the Region Champion. The Team’s score of 40 was good for third place edging Menno by one point. The first place team was Kimball/White Lake with 16 while Burke was second at 30.

Isabella’s 5K time was 21:23 on a very wet and sloppy course. Hannah Hansum placed 16th in 24:11 and Sonya Hansum was 28th (26:53). Coach Larry Lucas was very proud of the team’s performance. “Anything can happen in sports, but good things happen when you practice hard and focus on goals. Having a team run at state will be both exciting and challenging. We will have to be ready to run in a large pack of runners and to be disciplined to maintain our mental focus to run our mile splits.”

On the boy’s side, Peter Backes was just two places off qualifying, finishing in 22nd with a time of 22:27 and Tony Hansum was 31st in 25:21. “Both runners are only in 7th grade and with another year of running experience they should easily be able to make it to state," noted Coach Lucas. The Boy’s Race was won by Thaniel Schroeder from Freeman Academy-Marion in 18:03. Freemam Academy-Marion were the Boy’s Region Champions (9), with Mitchell Christian

(17), and Menno (32).

The State Meet starts at 12 noon this Saturday at Yankton Trails Park in Sioux Falls. Admission will be taken at the State Meet; the charge is $7 for adults and $5 for students.