The Minnesota State Cross Country Coaches Association has released their preseason team and individual rankings for the upcoming 2008 season.
In Class A, the Adrian Dragon girls Cross Country team received the top spot in the polls. The Dragons have won the Class A Cross Country title the past 3 years. The Fairmont Girls are ranked 6th after placing 8th at last year’s State meet, and the Luverne Cardinals Girls are ranked 9th in the preseason rankings. Last year Luverne finished 7th at the State Cross Country meet.
Individually, Redwood Valley’s sophomore Gabi Swoboda is ranked 9th individually. She finished 11th at last year’s state meet. Adrian 8th grader Jordin Kopplow is ranked 10th after finishing in 12th at the state meet last year. The top ranked girls’ runner in the state is Paynesville Area senior Linda Keller who won the Class A State Meet last year.
On the boys side in Class A, the Adrian Dragon Boys Cross Country team is ranked 2nd in the preseason rankings. The Dragon boys finished 2nd at last year’s Class A State Meet. Individually, Adrian senior Chris Reisdorfer is ranked 6th. Reisdorfer finished 16th at the Class A meet last season. Another area runner ranked in the preseason top 12 is Tracy-Milroy-Balaton senior Ryan Tholen, who is ranked 2nd.
Boys Class A
1 Pequot Lakes
2 Adrian
3 Mora
4 Minnehaha Academy
5 Plainview-E-M
6 Esko
7 Albany
8 Perham
9 Blake
10 St. Cloud Cathedral
11 St Anthony Village
12 Eveleth-Gilbert
Individuals
1 Clayton Foster, 12 Pequot Lakes
2 Ryan Tholen, 12 Tracy-Milroy-Balaton
3 Moses Heppner, 12 Warroad
4 Ryan Swenson, 10 LacQuiParleValley/DB
5 Connor Gjevre, 11 Annandale
6 Chris Reisdorfer, 12 Adrian
7 Jordan Bendson, 11 Staples-Motley
8 Patrick Byrant, 12 DeLaSalle
9 Grant Timm, 10 Plainview-E-M
10 Landon Bauer, 11 Albany
11 Tanner Wendroth, 10 Paynesville
12 Jordan Harldson, 12 United South Central
Girls' Class A
1 Adrian
2 Holy Family
3 Perham
4 Mora
5 St. Cloud Cathedral
6 Fairmont
7 Rochester Lourdes
8 Staples-Motley
9 Luverne
10 Blue Earth Area
11 Esko
12 LaCrescent
Individuals
1 Linda Keller, 12 Paynesville Area
2 Naomi Landecker, 12 Staples-Motley
3 Marissa Janning, 9 Watertown-Mayer
4 Maddie McClellan, 11 Perham
5 Lauren Rice, 12 Holy Family
6 Abby Anderson, 11 Perham
7 Annie Hart, 11 St. Paul Academy
8 Adrianne Flores, 11 Medford
9 Gabi Swoboda, 10 Redwood Valley
10 Jordin Kopplow, 8 Adrian
11 Margaret Chute, 12 Blake
12 Greta Danielson, 9 St. Cloud Cathedral
Boys Class AA
1 Wayzata
2 Eden Prairie
3 Stillwater
4 Brainerd
5 Edina
6 Moorhead
7 Owatonna
8 Willmar
9 Alexandria
10 Lakeville South
11 Minnetonka
12 Buffalo
Individuals
1 Mahad Hassan, 12 Willmar
2 Robel Kebede, 12 Mpls South
3 Drew Paradis, 12 Alexandria
4 John-Michael Brandt, 11 Winona
5 Thomas Ruttger, 12 Brainerd
6 Jeremy Drenckhahn, 12 Wayzata
7 John Holt, 12 Roseville
8 Eric Truedson, 12 Bemidji
9 Danny Ducharme, 12 Wayzata
10 Zach Mellon, 12 Buffalo
11 Ryan Evans, 12 Centennial
12 Kamal Jarso, 11 St. Paul Central
Girls' Class AA
1 Lakeville North
2 Eden Prairie
3 White Bear Lake
4 Prior Lake
5 Burnsville
6 Minnetonka
7 Chaska
8 Woodbury
9 Grand Rapids
10 Roseville
11 Waseca
12 Lakeville South
Individuals
1 Laura Hughes, 11 Mankato West
2 Cassy Opitz, 12 Eden Prairie
3 Emma Bates, 11 Elk River
4 Katie Moraczewski, 12 White Bear Lake
5 Meghan Heuer, 11 Prior Lake
6 Kaylea Brase, 12 Centennial
7 Sarah Heuer, 12 Prior Lake
8 Emily Meese, 12 Minnetonka
9 Jamie Piepenburg, 9 Alexandria
10 Laura Docherty, 12 Cretin-Derham Hall
11 Rachel Drake, 12 White Bear Lake
12 Becca Nichols, 12 Lakeville South