Class A Girls: Adrian, Keller Win Titles

It came as no surprise when Adrian was announced as team champion for Class A girls. The Dragons, led by 7th-grader Jordin Kopplow, amassed 97 points to take hope the title. Holy Family Catholic, who entered the day as the #4-ranked team, finished second, a mere 10 points ahead of #2 Perham and 12 points ahead of #3 Staples-Motley.

In the individual race, Linda Keller of Paynesville Area, Naomi Landecker of Staples-Motley and Marissa Janning of Watertown-Mayer have sat atop the individual rankings of girls Class A for nearly the entire season, and wasted no time to get to the front of the pack this afternoon. The three favorites escaped from the pack and built themselves a 15-meter lead by the 1600-meter mark, which they reached in 5:25.

By 3200 meters, Keller had broken the pack and led coming out of the woods toward the finish. Last year's 3rd-place finisher won the race in 14:30.2, followed by Landecker in 14:43.4 and Janning in 14:48.7. Keller said she was nervous initially, but settled in once the race got underway. She said she did not have any expectation of how the race would play out, but felt good enough late in the race to make a move.

Full Results

Photo Naomi Landecker (l) and Linda Keller by Gene Niemi.