Making history in Melrose

The time discrepancy between the top-two boys’ cross-country runners at the Melrose Invitational Sept. 20 was so large, the race required two pace carts. 

Matched up in an intense competition were Sauk Centre’s Brandon Kampsen and Pequot Lakes’ Eli Hall, and across the course, the experienced runners remained evenly matched. 

In the end, it was Kampsen finishing in first place, as the Streeters locked up their first event win of the season with a team score of 55 at Meadowlark Country Club in Melrose.

“The boys had an excellent performance today,” head coach Jim Metcalf said. “When you get four (runners) in the top 15, that’s going to usually end up in a pretty good score for the team.”

Kampsen’s late surge to separate from Hall helped the senior secure a course record at 16 minutes and 14.68 seconds. 

“If there is anyone close to him, I count on him outsprinting just about anybody at the finish line,” Metcalf said.

After Hall completed his afternoon, there were a throng of competitors vying for third place, and Streeter freshman Jacob Drevlow emerged as the leader of the second wave of finishers, logging a personal record time of 17:45.86.

“I was over on the west end and the last time he came by; I saw him in ninth place,” Metcalf said. “He picked off a lot of guys on his way to the finish line.”

Determination on the final stretch was not a Drevlow exclusive, as Neal Stadsvold was Sauk Centre’s third runner to complete the race, taking 12^th ahead of New London-Spicer’s Jett Kubesh, who he sprinted past in the final seconds.

Logan Frank became the Streeters’ fourth athlete to land in the top 15 with a 14^th-place time of 18:46.76 and cementing his status as a consistent scorer.

“He’s showing his dominance for that No. 4 spot on the team, and he’s another one where throughout the season, I think his times will continue to go down,” Metcalf said.

The girls Streeters squad also registered a strong outing, seizing 11th out of 13 teams. Francesca Rivers snagged 42^nd place with a time of 24:10.43 as Sauk Centre’s highest finisher.

“Teamwise, I think it was one of their better placements of the year,” Metcalf said. “They’re continuing to improve.”

Finishing second for the Streeters was eighth grader Alissa Tegels, who put together her best performance of the fall at 24:56.90, ending the evening in 52^nd place. With a strong work ethic and an ability to cut time dramatically, Tegels is one of several runners expected to contribute to Sauk Centre’s success for a long time.

“She’s always working hard in practice and stayed loose today,” Metcalf said. “I was happy with her.”

Elise Knoblach, Abigail Mohs and Gabbie Volkmann filled out Sauk Centre’s girls scoring lineup, while Hailey Thompson and Megan Broich also competed for the varsity team.

“I couldn’t be happier with the way they performed out here today,” Metcalf said. 

Wadena-Deer Creek took home the girl’s championship with a score of 61, while the individual girls champion was Long Prairie-Grey Eagle’s Caroline Kuehne at 20:03.94.

Boy’s teams: 1. Sauk Centre 55, 2. Pequot Lakes 85, 3. New London-Spicer 94, 4. West Central Area 125, 5. Litchfield 137, 6. Minnewaska Area 173, 7. Breckenridge/Wahpeton 183, 8. Melrose 195, 9. Wadena-Deer Creek 213, 10. Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 224, 11. Paynesville 274, 12. Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 292 and 13. Brandon-Evansville 302.

Boy’s individuals: 1. Kampsen 16:14.68, 3. Drevlow 17:45.86, 12. Stadsvold 18:43.33, 14. Frank 18:46.76 and 25. Logan Wiehoff 19:29.21. 

Girl’s teams: 1. Wadena-Deer Creek 61, 2. Minnewaska Area 73, 3. New London-Spicer 92, 4. Litchfield 143, 5. Melrose 176, 6. Breckenridge/Wahpeton 180, 7. Pequot Lakes 187, 8. Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 200, 9. Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 216, 10. West Central Area 218, 11. Sauk Centre 263, 12. Paynesville 269 and 13. Brandon-Evansville 329. 

Girl’s individuals: 42. Rivers 24:10.43, 52. Tegals 24:56.86, 54. Knoblach 25:09.80, 56. Mohs 25:29.35 and 69. Volkmann 26:35.87.