STATE BOUND COUGARS SC girls cross country advances to the 2024 state meet with D-4 runner-up finish Cougars set for Class D state run at 3:30 p.m., Friday at the Kearney Country Club
To say that the 2024 cross country season for the Sandy Creek girls was over-the-top successful could very well be a huge understatement, as the young Cougar girls served notice to the Class D teams throughout the state that they could compete at the highest level, regardless of class this season.
Sandy Creek’s trio of underclassmen, including sophomore Madalyn Andersen and freshmen Madison Shaw and Paige Stengel and coaches Corbin Hansen and Jennifer Stengel loaded up the van and headed to McCool Junction’s Camp Kateri Thursday, Oct. 17, to battle it out in a field of 54 runners in the Class D, District-4 cross country meet.
The strong trio, at the end of their 5000-meter trek around the course at Camp Kateri were just five points shy of the D-4 team title, as the host McCool Junction girls edged out the Cougars 13-18 in the final standings of the meet, while Sandy Creek held an eight-point lead over third-place Nebraska Christian, 18-26.
All three teams now advance to the Class D state cross country meet on the Kearney Country Club, Friday, Oct. 25. The Class D girls race will begin at 3:30 p.m.
Shaw paced the Cougars in the district run, placing third behind a pair of McCool Junction distance runners, Kayleigh Betka and Leah Dawson.
Betka claimed the individual gold medal with a time of just under 20 minutes, finishing the race in 19 minutes, 59.16 seconds, while Dawson placed second with her time of 20:19.88.
Shaw crossed the finish line with a time of 20:37.13.
Stengel followed with a sixth-place time of 21:11.93, while Andersen finished off the top-10 day for the Cougars with a ninth-place finish, coming in a time of 21:45.09.
FINAL D-4 TEAM STANDINGS 1. McCool Junction*...................................................13 2. Sandy Creek*............................................................18 3. Nebraska Christian*...............................................26 4. Hastings St. Cecilia.................................................42 5. Doniphan-Trumbull...............................................62 6. Fullerton.....................................................................67 7. Ravenna.....................................................................71 8. Kenesaw.....................................................................74 9. Franklin.......................................................................75 10. Blue Hill....................................................................77 11. Wood River.......................................................... 110 *-Denotes qualifying teams
TOP 15 INDIVIDUALS
Individual State Qualifiers 1. Kayleigh Betka, McCool Junction........19:59.16 2. Leah Dawson, McCool Junction..........20:19.88 3. Madison Shaw, Sandy Creek.........20:37.13 4. Lily Daly, Hastings St. Cecilia.................20:39.53 5. Emery Vargas, Hastings St. Cecilia.......21:08.81 6. Paige Stengel Sandy Creek..........21:11.93 7. Addie Edson NE Christian.....................21:13.22 8. Grace Nokelby NE Christian.................21:23.55 9. Madalyn Andersen Sandy Creek.. 21:45.09 10. Natalie Clark McCool Junction.........22:10.25 11. Izzy Brumbaugh NE Christian...........22:10.33 12. Morgan Supik Fullerton......................22:12.81 13. Macy Olsen Blue Hill.............................22:15.71 14. Sevyn Russell Doniphan-Trumbull....22:31.76 15. Makayla Robinson Fullerton..............22:51.33
2024 STATE MEET SCHEDULE The Sandy Creek girls cross country team will start the Class D race in “Box 7” between Pender and Crofton. The full slate of races for the 2024 State Cross Country championships in Kearney is as follows: Class B boys.................................................... 12 noon Class A boys................................................ 12:30 p.m. Class B girls..........................................................1 p.m. Class A girls....................................................1:30 p.m. Class B/A Awards...............................................2 p.m. Class D boys...................................................2:30 p.m. Class C boys.........................................................3 p.m.
CLASS D GIRLS.................................3:30 P.M.
Class C girls..........................................................4 p.m. Class D/C Awards.........................................4:30 p.m.
