KMS/Benson Cross Country Team Battles Heat and Tough Course at Little Crow Golf Course

In a challenging contest at The Little Crow Golf Course on September 12, 2024, the KMS/Benson Schools Cross Country team earned commendable placements against a strong field of competitors. The meet featured a demanding 5,000 meters varsity event, where the boys varsity squad placed 11th among 15 teams and the boys' junior high team placed 5th out of 9. The girls' junior high team achieved a notable 3rd place among 3 complete teams. Notable individual performances were highlighted by Alex Zurn, who secured the 22nd spot with an impressive time of 18:23.5, followed by Gavin Olson and Oswaldo Moreno who finished 46th and 60th respectively in the men's varsity. For the women's varsity, Alissa Thompson achieved 64th place. In the younger categories, Levi Pappadakis seized the 14th place in boys' junior high, indicating promising potential for future races. Porsha Gravley and Libby Henry shone in the girls' junior high, finishing 2nd and 6th respectively. Coach VanHeuveln praised the team's resilience, "The course and the heat were both major challenges, but the runners all did very well! This was also a very large meet that also included bigger 2A schools like Dassel-Cokato and Litchfield. There were runners not happy with their times, some ran personal best times; now we keep building on that through the rest of the season." She highlighted the mixed outcomes but underscored the strong spirit and improvements. Key moments included Taylor Heike's debut on the boys JV team where he secured a varsity position for the upcoming week. The KMS/Benson team will look to build on their experiences as they prepare to compete next at the Melrose Area Invitational on September 17, 2024, at the Meadow Lark Golf Course.