CROSS COUNTRY: Cardinal runners finish strong at state

Cromwell-Wright eighth-grader Emaleigh Olesiak was the top Carlton County finisher at state, taking 30th place in a time of 19:45.7 in the girls race at the Minnesota MSHSL Class A Cross Country State Championships. A total of 175 runners finished the race.

Cardinals freshman Noah Foster finished 117th in the boys race, in a time of 17:42:7. Like most other runners, Foster's time was slower at state versus his Section 7A time of 16:54.6.

Olesiak's time was also a little slower than her section personal record in Cloquet, when she ran the 5000-meter race in 19:33.3 to a fifth-place finish.

It was the first trip to state for both of the Cromwell-Wright students.

Longtime Cardinals cross country coach Pete Koenig said the two young runners put in the miles before the season started, laying the groundwork for what turned out to be a spectacular season for both of them. He added that Olesiak has trained hard all season with the boys team to push herself even harder.

Coach Koenig said the great team culture helped the Cardinals this season as well.

"The whole team worked hard and I think it's that teamwork that pushed our two state runners even further," Koenig said. "By working hard you pull everyone along. The slower ones get faster and the faster ones have to go farther because the other ones are catching up."

"It's not even a team, it's more of a family," Olesiak told the Pine Knot News.