Speaking of Sports

By John Fragodt, Sports Reporter

I’ve been meaning to thank Holly Kovarik in this column for sending me cross-country pictures so far this season.  The Lakers host just one meet every year, this year on Oct. 11, so it’s nice to have cross-country photos throughout the season thanks to people who attend the away meets.  Anyway, I really appreciate it, so keep those great pictures coming.

•  And, speaking of cross-country, coach Jennifer Johnsrud is very pleased with where her teams are at the midway point in the season.

The girls team has placed twice and second three times during the opening five meets, while the boys team placed second at LQP and third at Milbank.

“Our boys team has improved significantly this season with Maeson (Tank) among those running significantly faster times than last year,” coach Johnsrud said.  “We have guys that are running over two minutes faster on the same courses as last season.  Part of that is maturation and part is hard work and dedication to the program.  We have a big percentage of the guys that participate in our sumer running program and those extra miles make a big difference over the season.

“The girls team, meanwhile, has been running well all season  We have some experienced runners and we have had some new additions to the team that definitely have positively impacted our team performances, including Piper Citrowske, Izzy Bautista, Autumn Hess and seventh-grader Sydney Ankeny.”

The girls team earned a state team berth last year, placing second behind Staples-Motley in the section meet before placing seventh in the Class A state meet won by S-M.

“The girls’ team is led by freshman Lauryn Ankeny and seniors Kiearra Wilmes and Elsey Hagen,” coach Johnsrud said.  “The girls are running better midseason times than last year, but staying healthy is going to be a key component to how we finish the season.”

There’s one more month to go before the Section 6A Cross-Country Meet, Friday, Oct. 28.