MINNESOTA STATE MEET

Robert Mechura Lowers Own State Championship Record; Wayzata Girls Win Third Consecutive Class AAA Team Title

By Keenan Gray of DyeStat

PHOTOS by Lily Dozier

Robert Mechura bested his own state championship record and the Roseville Area senior repeated as state champion at the Minnesota Cross Country State Championships on Saturday at the University of Minnesota Golf Course in Falcon Heights, Minn.

A week before heading to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to defend his NXR Heartland title, Mechura took home another Class AAA individual title in his final high school race in Minnesota, running 15 minutes, 3.7 seconds to lower his former course record and state meet best by half-a-second in which he set at last year's Minnesota state meet.

The future North Carolina Tar Hell withstood Minnetonka's own Sean Fries by less than three seconds after the two ran even with each other for the first two miles of the race.

Edina, led by Jace Haerter in third in 15:20.3, won a close team race with Wayzata, holding off the three-time defending state champions 106-112. Will Weber (15:30.6) and Alex Haag (15:48.6) both finished in the top 10 for Wayzata, finishing fourth and eighth, respectively. 

Forest Lake's Norah Hushagen, the reigning NXR Heartland girls champion, began her postseason campaign winning her second consecutive Class AAA title in 17:32.3, with teammate Anna VanAcker finishing third in 17:52.8.

Maddie Gullickson (17:48.3) and Lila Golomb (18:04.8) earned top five finishes to guide Wayzata to its third straight team title, beating Forest Lake 42-76.

Salvador Wirth of Annandale out kicked Perham's Bjorn Anderson in the boys Class AA race by a margin of 15:15 to 15:16.4 to claim the individual title.

Marshall outpaced Perham in the team race 73-81 for the program's first state title since 2004, with Samuel Deutz earning a top 10 finish in ninth in 15:54.7.

St. Paul Highland Park scored 53 points to win the Class AA girls team title. Grace Lewis-Mosher captured the individual title in 18:11.8 and Claire Vukovics finished second in 18:22.3 to lead the Scots.

Erik Semling of Cotter/Hope ran a lifetime best 15:23.5 to win the Class A boys individual title, winning by 13 seconds.

Redwood Valley came away with 86 points for the team title and were led by William Ahrens (15:35.8) and Kilen Cilek (15:49.5) finishing top three.

Audrey Brownell of Staple-Motley held on to win the girls Class A race in 18:17.2.

Sonja Semling ran 18:49.8 for third to lead Cotter/Hope to win the team title with 116 points.

Team Champions - RESULTS

Class AAA - Edina boys 106 points, Wayzata girls 42 points

Class AA - Marshall boys 73 points, St. Paul Highland Park girls 53 points

Class A - Redwood Valley boys 86 points, Cotter/Hope girls 116 points.