It was a winter wonderland in horrid conditions for some of the Midwest's toughest cross country runners (Elizabeth Schreiber photo)
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University of Wisconsin-Parkside's Wayne E. Dannehl National Cross Country Course was an immaculate scene with blizzard-like conditions as the caveat.
Brooks XC meet management made notable changes to the meet schedule in advance due to weather and course conditions. They combined the frosh-soph boys' and junior-senior boys' races, and there weren't enough entries to warrant a separate junior/senior girls' race.
The opening race was the frosh/soph boys, and it got off to a cheering delight through near-blinding snow. The first two-mile splits were understandably slow; the early leaders checked in around 5:20 and 10:40 courtesy of sophomore Rylen Richey of Grand Ledge, Michigan. Richey relinquished the lead inside the woods to sophomore Carter Lippold of Farmington, Minnesota. Lippold emerged from cover and strutted home for the win in 16:45.
The next event on the docket would be the championship girls, with the top 10 finishers earning a trip to sunny San Diego for the national final on December 13.
With the weather conditions worsening, it seemed as though the favorites had a plan to stick together for most of the race and turn the last third into a kickers' affair.
Sophia Szolosi of Athens, Ohio, was among the leaders through the first mile in 5:35. Elena Aldrink of Ohio, Emma Hoffman of Michigan, and pre-meet favorite Maddie Gullickson of powerhouse Wayzata, Minnesota, were draped together about a second behind Szolosi.
This same group was in a virtual lock through the second mile in 11:06. However, it was Szolosi who emerged from the wooded area with less than 400 meters with a sizable lead. She would race home eight seconds ahead of Hoffman for the snowy win in 17:22.
| Place | Video | Athlete | Team | Mark | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Sophia Szolosi | 12 | Athens | 17:22.90 | ||
| 2 |  Emma Hoffman | 12 | Plainwell | 17:30.80 | ||
| 3 |  Maddie Gullickson | 12 | Wayzata | 17:33.80 | ||
| 4 |  Elena Aldrink | 12 | Olen. Liberty | 17:35.50 | ||
| 5 |  Libby Dowty | 12 | Indian Creek High School | 17:46.60 | ||
| 6 |  Julia Score | 12 | Bishop Chatard High School | 17:58.10 | ||
| 7 |  Daphne Weller | 10 | Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran High School | 17:58.50 | ||
| 8 |  Payton Meineke | 12 | Unattached - CO | 18:00.20 | ||
| 9 |  Annabel Pollert | 11 | Carmel High School | 18:00.80 | ||
| 10 |  Emilia Garces | 10 | Midland Dow | 18:01.60 |
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The boys' field featured 80 starters who eagerly got off clean in the horrid course conditions.
Badger native Lucas Tanner had plans of his own to earn a trip to San Diego without the assistance of drafting back. He led the first and second miles in 4:47 and 9:38. Tanner indicated that he missed qualifying for the Nike Cross Nationals Championships by one place, and he wasn't going to let another opportunity slip past him.
Chasing behind Tanner was Indiana state champion Calvin Seitz, who did not run at MW NXR. He saved his postseason exploits for this day. He was just three seconds behind at the second mile and in hot pursuit heading into the final mile.
Seitz came from the wooded area with the advantage and won in 15:11. This was an impressive time in conditions that one had to witness in person to believe.
| lace | Video | Athlete | Team | Mark | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Calvin Seitz | 11 | Springs Valley High School | 15:11.20 | |
| 2 |  Lucas Tanner | 12 | DeForest | 15:16.90 | |
| 3 |  Kamari Ronfeldt | 11 | Ann Arbor Pioneer | 15:24.40 | |
| 4 |  Wyatt Dann | 10 | Castle View High School | 15:24.60 | |
| 5 |  Alex Roberts | 12 | Blue Valley Southwest High School | 15:25.60 | |
| 6 |  Cadel Ruthven | 12 | Fort Collins High School | 15:27.60 | |
| 7 |  Gabriel Voelker | 12 | Raymore-Peculiar High School | 15:29.50 | |
| 8 |  Lucas Wik | 12 | Boulder High School | 15:29.90 | |
| 9 |  Jaden Merrick | 12 | Cedar Falls | 15:30.10 | |
| 10 |  Rocco Culpepper | 12 | Niwot High School | 15:33.40 |