Trio of runners clinch state berths

Published 10:54 pm Thursday, October 22, 2026

Three runners punched their ticket to the NSAA State Cross Country Championships out of the D-1 District held October 15 at Pender.

Wisner-Pilger freshman Hayleigh Szymanski was one of those state qualifiers as she finished 8th with a time of 21:06.8.

“I am very proud of Hayleigh. While only a freshman, she runs like a much more experienced runner,” Gator head coach Lia Raabe said.

“She handles the pressure of being one of the top competitors well and steps up to tough competition. She did an excellent job fighting off the competitor behind her for the last mile of the race. It will be exciting to see how she does in Kearney.”

Raabe noted the district was challenging but praised her team for what they accomplished.

“No matter what the district results were, I am incredibly proud of our athletes. This team has an incredible work ethic and approached every challenge this season with positive attitudes,” Raabe said.

“Almost every athlete improved their times from when we ran on this course a month ago. Many improved by half a minute or more. There have been big improvements from the beginning of the season to the end, which is a testament to their work ethic and determination.”

This marked the final race for the Gator’s two seniors, Laura Borgelt and Sylas Delmont.

As for Bancroft-Rosalie, the Panthers will be sending two athletes to state, freshman Barrett Beutler and junior Hayden Bridges.

Beutler finished 13th with a time of 21:43.5, while Bridges took 9th with a time of 17:58.8.

“It’s very exciting,” Panther head coach Caleb Hansen said. “Our program has been close several times over the past few years. So, it is great to finally get someone down to state.”

This marked the final race for Panther senior Brooklyn Monroy.

The State Cross Country meet is being held today (October 23) at Kearney.