PREP CROSS COUNTRY: Pater wins at Fairmont, as do Adrian CC girls

FAIRMONT — Adrian senior Jase Pater won the individual boys’ title at a five-team high school cross country meet Monday afternoon at Cedar Creek Park.

Pater took the lead during the second loop of three trips around the bean field on the west side of the park and held off a hard-driving Mankato West runner with a torrid sprint of his own, winning the 5,000-meter race in 17 minutes, 19.9 seconds.

“Jase was just really motoring,” declared AHS head coach John Olson. “It was fun to watch. He ran over 500 miles this summer and deserves this kind of success.”

Pater had opened up about a 40-meter lead late in the race, but had to really “dig in” with an all-out sprint over the final 200 meters to secure the victory.

“This was quite a win for Jase, beating all of the runners from much bigger schools like Mankato West, Albert Lea, Minnesota Valley Lutheran and Fairmont, which always has some top-notch runners,” exclaimed Olson. “He had a heck of a good run, that’s for sure.”

Pater’s teammate Kody Henning ran the course in 19:37.7 and finished in the upper middle of the field in 18th place.

While Pater claimed the individual victory in the boys’ race, the Dragon girls won their fifth consecutive team title of the season — winning by 34 points with a low score of 25.

Fairmont edged Albert Lea, 59-60, for second place, while Mankato West (79) and Minnesota Valley Lutheran (129) were fourth and fifth, respectively.

Albert Lea junior Chrissy Monson clocked a winning 4,000-meter time of 15:06.7 after pulling away from Adrian ace Jordin Kopplow, also a junior, over the race’s last 800 meters.

“Jordin was shoulder to shoulder with Monson, exchanging leads, for the first 3,200 meters,” noted Olson. “But when Monson changed gears and started her kick, she really put some distance between the two.”

Kopplow, who had won four consecutive races this fall, finished a solid second (15:19.8), while teammates Megan Sauer (15:49), Nicole Slater (15:56), Austyn Thier (16:18) and Morgan Sauer (16:31) finished 4-5-6-8, giving the Dragons five runners in the top eight as they displayed their typical exceptional team balance.

Haley Howe (36th, 19:10), Megan Tweet (37th, 19:11) and Hunter Hieronimus (41st, 20:00) were Adrian’s sixth, seventh and eighth varsity runners, respectively.

“A good all-around team race by the girls,” summed up Olson. “Now we prepare for the challenge of facing St. Cloud Cathedral this weekend.”

The Crusaders, who are ranked No. 2 in the latest Class A state ratings (behind Adrian), have been impressive so far this fall and will compete against the Dragons Saturday at the huge Milaca Mega Meet.

Tags: cross country, sports, prep, adrian