Trojan girls run 8th at CC meet

The New Prague Trojan girls cross country team placed eighth of 11 teams in a very strong field at the Hutchinson Invitational Thursday, Sept. 12.

            New Prague’s Maria Berg ran her best race of the season, finishing the 4K race in 14 minutes, 55 seconds, breaking her previous personal best by 39 seconds. She finished sixth.

            Besides Berg, other Trojan runners were Ashley Altschul (36th, 16:19), Bridget Ellanson (41st, 16:28), Ella Grote (52nd, 16:45), Korey Wilson (59th, 17:06); Abby Milinkovich (60th, 17:07) and Elisa Johnson (65th, 17:38).

            In the team competition, Wayzata, the state’s top-ranked team, came out on top with 48 points, six points better than No. 9-ranked Willmar’s 54. Other teams were Marshall (65), Coon Rapids (137), Orono (137), Waseca (150), Mankato West (192), New Prague (194), Buffalo (243), Mankato East (258) and Hutchinson (273).

            Wayzata’s Anna French, the state’s top-ranked runner, finished in 14:28, 50 seconds better than the second-place finisher, her teammate Michaela Keller-Miller.

            In the girls JV race, New Prague finished eighth of 11 teams. Top finishers were Jen Theis, 30th in 17:44, and Mikayla Giles, 42nd in 18:27.

            “I’m very proud of how the team competed,” Coach Shawn Brandt said. “We ran against some very talented teams, but our girls continue to train hard, race smart and have fun.”