KMS/Benson Boys Claim Invitational Crown, Girls Place Second With Strong Pack Running
| Place | Participant | Boys Csquad | Boys Varsity | Girls Csquad | Girls Varsity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2nd (37) | 1st (25) | 1st (15) | 2nd (46) | |
| 2 | 1st (18) | — | — | — | |
| 3 | — | 2nd (32) | — | 1st (16) | |
| 4 | — | 3rd (73) | — | 3rd (68) | |
| 5 | — | — | — | — |
BENSON, Minn. - KMS/Benson won two of the four scored team races and placed second in the other two during the five-team KMS/Benson Cross Country Invitational on Sept. 10 at Benson Golf Club. The varsity boys captured the team championship with 25 points, while the varsity girls finished second with 46. Alex Zurn led the boys by winning the 5,000-meter race in 18 minutes, 29.84 seconds, and Kayla Tollefsrud paced the girls with a sixth-place finish in 24:06.79.
The varsity boys built their victory through a strong front-running trio and a compact scoring pack. Levi Pappadackis followed Zurn across the line in second place at 18:37.31, giving KMS/Benson the first two finishers. Wyatt Hoff placed fifth in 19:21.79, Cian Klucas was ninth in 19:40.10 and Gabe Lofgren completed the scoring group in 11th at 20:13.53. That combination gave KMS/Benson a seven-point victory over Lac qui Parle Valley/Dawson-Boyd, which finished with 32 points. Mason McGeary added a 14th-place finish, and Noah Barrett was 15th.
The varsity girls also emphasized staying together and moving through the course as a pack. Behind Tollefsrud, Cadence Holmquist placed ninth in 25:27.66, and Halle Bolduc crossed 10th in 25:40.27. Ella Beyerl followed in 12th at 25:54.03, while Mamie Luft completed the team's scoring five in 14th at 27:23.70. Cora Doering finished one place behind Luft, giving KMS/Benson six runners among the first 15. Lac qui Parle Valley/Dawson-Boyd won the girls title with 16 points, followed by KMS/Benson with 46 and Long Prairie-Grey Eagle with 68.
KMS/Benson delivered another team championship in the C-squad girls 3,000-meter race, recording a perfect score of 15 by sweeping the first four places. Libby Henry won in 12:30.90, Porsha Gravley finished second in 12:44.20, Alaina Lorenz took third in 13:56.54 and Kenzlee Peters placed fourth in 14:13.24. That early pack established control of the team race and highlighted the program's depth.
The C-squad boys finished second with 37 points behind Ortonville's 18. Peyton O'Leary led KMS/Benson in fifth place with a time of 12:28.44. Rogan Klucas placed 12th, Shane Loen was 13th, Hudson Helgeson finished 15th and Cooper Hatfield took 17th to complete the scoring five. In the unscored junior varsity races, Adam Davis won the boys 5,000 in 21:29.43, and Shane Froehlich placed third. Sela Kolling led the KMS/Benson junior varsity girls with a third-place finish in 29:36.69.
The clear, warm day provided favorable conditions for a meet that included KMS/Benson, Ortonville, Lac qui Parle Valley/Dawson-Boyd, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle and BOLD/BLH. The award ceremony also recognized five KMS/Benson seniors: Bolduc, Luft, Zurn, Oswaldo Moreno and Froehlich. Their recognition followed a meet in which the varsity teams stayed close to teammates, the boys earned the championship and the girls secured a runner-up finish.
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