Sections 2017

The Northwest Nighthawks capped the season at the Section 5A cross country meet in Mora with their best performances of the year. In each of the varsity races, there were 137 finishers representing 22 teams.

The boys' team ran a team record time and finished 11th--a huge improvement over their 19th place finish last year. 8th grader Luke Swanson (12th place) led with a team record of 17:26, being just one spot away from individual State qualification in a sport otherwise dominated by upperclassmen. Next came sophomore Grant Olson (60th, 18:54), followed by junior captain Phillip Kippley (65th, 19:05), sophomore Jayden Peterman (76th, 19:16), sophomore Josh Gavin (89th, 19:51), 9th grader Isaac Nielsen (99th, 20:06), and junior AJ Ulwelling (107th, 20:26).

The girls' team ran their second fastest-ever team time and finished 9th--up from 10th place last year. Erika Swanson (3rd place) led with a season best of 19:34, qualifying for the State meet for the third time with one of the best performances of her career. Next came sophomore Margaret Myskowski (51st, 22:08), followed by sophomore Marielle Chamberlain (65th, 22:35), sophomore Jerilynn Simmer (71st, 22:57), senior captain Naomi Brenden (72nd, 23:00), sophomore Erin McGowan (89th, 23:42), and senior captain Sienna Chernyavsky (122nd, 26:20).

Erika is the only girl in our Section this year to be making a third trip to the State meet as an individual qualifier, which is a big accomplishment--maintaining solid performances year after year requires new levels of commitment, strength, and perseverance. She is really maturing as an athlete and as a leader. Part of that comes from experience, but it also comes from working hard at sportsmanship. Have fun and have a great race next weekend, Erika!

The Class A State Championship races will be held at St. Olaf College next Saturday, November 4, at 1:00 P.M. (girls) and 2:00 P.M. (boys). Admission is free for spectators. Be sure to leave plenty of time to park and take the shuttles to the race course.

Lefty

The Lefty Wright meet is a grade-level event that divides the races differently than most (vs. the typical Varsity, JV, and Junior High). While the Varsity teams are preparing for Thursday's Section meets, this is an opportunity for teams to give their non-Section runners one last shot at the 5K. It's a huge meet with hundreds of runners per race, but it's a lot of fun.

Conference

Congratulations to the Nighthawks in their first-ever Conference race! The Twin Cities Athletic Conference (TCAC) is comprised mainly of small private, charter, and other non-traditional schools. We were so thankful to have been welcomed into the group this season and enjoyed being in the mix of competition--plus it was an incredibly beautiful day for the event at St. Catherine University in St. Paul.

The girls took home the Runner-Up plaque (team hardware is a Nighthawk first!), and the boys took 3rd with a record combined team time. Congratulations to our 4 girls and 4 boys who earned All-Conference honors by finishing in the top 15: Erika Swanson (2nd place), Margaret Myskowski (6th), Marielle Chamberlain (8th), and Erin McGowan (11th); Luke Swanson (5th place), Phillip Kippley (12th), Grant Olson (14th), and Drake Fraser (15th); and to all who set season and lifetime PR's today. Go Nighthawks!

Huskies Hill Thrill

This was another new meet for us this year. It was basically our Conference competition, minus the bigger varsity teams, which meant our team was more prominent in the results. Having that many Nighthawks up front was a new and slightly awkward experience, but hopefully it gave everyone a little appreciation for those who run alone. It also was fun for those who otherwise don't have a chance at a medal. The hills were memorable, the hosts were gracious and welcoming, and chocolate milk was served after the race!

CC Candyland

Anyone else play that board game when you were a kid? In this variation, we make maps and send them out looking for treats: some healthy, some not so much. The group who was sent first to the bucket with raisins asked if the whole thing were a joke. :D Each bucket also has a colored marker in it so the group can prove they were there. Fun!

Litchfield

Because of the heavy rains earlier in the week, the course was creatively rerouted to run partly on the golf course but mostly on the roads. It was a new situation for most of our runners as few had road-racing experience; but the flat, mostly-paved course provided the opportunity to run especially fast. Fast running times aside, what was most exciting to see was the teamwork on the varsity boys' team, where our 2nd through 6th runners held a 16-second spread at the finish. Their JV comrades are closing in, and it's fun to watch. On the girls' side, there were a few major time drops, and we're hoping that boosts their confidence. We've emphasized strength more this year, which is important for these young women in many ways. Nighthawk strong!

CC Junior Championships

 "CC Junior" is an annual tradition where Nighthawk team members host younger siblings for a cross country meet of their own. Nighthawks are assigned jobs such as race directors, "golf carts" (run as fast as you can ahead of the racers), "sag wagons" (make sure no one gets lost), timers, chute organizers, snack wranglers, award presenters, and more. Races include the 400m (ages 3-5 only), 800m (anyone age 8 or younger), and the 1600m (anyone age 11 or younger). This year, we had over 25 siblings participating, accompanied by dozens and dozens of cheering fans. Cutest thing ever.