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2017 CC Season Summary Slideshow

3 months summarized in 3 minutes. Enjoy your winter, and we'll see you for track & field in the spring! Thanks to all the race directors, athletic directors, coaches, competitors, parents, grandparents, families, and friends who supported us and made this season possible.

Banquet

Celebrating another CC season! We value each runner who participates, so we strive to recognize each one with words of affirmation and appreciation for their unique part of the team. It may take a while to acknowledge them all, but it brings near-perfect attendance at banquets. :) Thanks to everyone who helped make this a great night--we have the best banquet team, and we appreciate all of your work and creativity. Thanks to our captains for serving the team and to the coaches for investing so much in these student-athletes. Congratulations to those who earned volunteer service awards, varsity letters, athlete of the meet, and other fun awards. And we sure will miss you, seniors! Thanks also to all who supported us this season in various ways.

State 2017

MN State CC meet! Such a great day in so many ways. It was sweet to see Erika gather the Section 5A representatives for a "team huddle," which the other girls loved. And this NIGHTHAWK TEAM! Thank you to all who spent their Saturday with us--Erika is proud to represent you all, and it meant the world to her and our family to have your support. She ran a season best time (19:27), faster than State last year and arguably her best-ever cross country performance. Her 20th place overall earned her All State honors (top 25) for a second time. We've been in this sport long enough to recognize that things don't always fall into place when you want them to, so it's extra special when they do. Thanks to all who made this experience possible! (Lower left photo by MN Prep Photo/www.mnprepphoto.com)

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.

Picture Day

As much as we'd like a tight ship, it's always more like a crazy train... But once again, we pulled it off!

CC Poker

Because sometimes long runs need a little distraction...

Rocori

Another unseasonably hot September day. The weather this season has been a surprise for everyone, but spirits remain positive and we roll with it. This was also a tough meet competitionwise, with almost all teams coming from AA schools. Still, the Nighthawks hung in there and gave their all.

Mora

Hot! That's the best way to describe this meet. Since this is the location of the Section 5A meet this year, we wanted to check it out. This meet's novelty was cookies (instead of medals or ribbons) for top finishers. Lots of good work out there, and now we know what to expect at the end of October!

Rocket Run

Beautiful day for our first official cross country meet of the season! We're very excited to see more of our runners working together out there on the race course, but don't get me wrong: they'll battle it out for the finish. Congrats to many who ran their first CC 5K ever! And thanks so much to Rockford High School for hosting a great invitational.

Mega Fun Day

What began in our very first season as a way to clear the original cross country trail, has now become a great team builder with different work projects each year (although brush clearing is standard). Morning practice, breakfast, a couple hours of work, lunch, and movie in the barn. Mega fun!

Season IV

First day of cross country practice, and we're so excited for Season IV! We definitely have our work cut out for us with this crew, but it is all going to be awesome.

Team Community Service Week

This week, we had a couple of opportunities to give back to the community that has been so supportive of us. The Corcoran Night to Unite brought hundreds of neighbors together to celebrate community, crime prevention, and strong police/community partnerships. We helped with food and games there. The Hanover Harvest Festival is a big, one-day event that begins with a 5K run and continues with a parade, games, vendors, bands, and lots of other activities. We set up several large tents, tables, etc. in preparation for the action. Everyone were all super appreciative of our help as we had solid crews working at different times over the course of the week. Great work, everyone!

MSHSL "No Contact" Week: July 1-7, 2017

Just a reminder that we're coming into our "no contact" week per MSHSL rules and will therefore not be hosting or organizing summer runs during that time. Feel free to meet on your own, but we coaches will not be available for consultation. Enjoy your holiday!

Catching Up

Catching up on some recently published articles--just had to share. :)

http://pressnews.com/2017/06/08/nighthawk-runner-gains-ground-at-sections/

http://pressnews.com/2017/06/05/nighthawk-runners-place-at-sub-section-track-meet/

http://pressnews.com/2017/05/06/nighthawk-runners-place-at-maple-lake-track-meet/

Season Finale

Congratulations to Erika Swanson for a great Section meet, and thanks to the team for coming to cheer her on! Erika represented the Nighthawks well as she improved her standings over last year's event, taking 7th in the 1600m (5:30.71) and 4th in the 3200m (12:05.41).

Being the only competitor from your team at a big meet like this is tough. But you couldn't ask for a better support crew--several carpools made the trek out to St. John's--which says a lot about the team. We're hoping to develop more Section qualifiers by next year, which will make the experience that much better for everyone. (The enthusiasm for summer running and cross country will certainly help!) We've had a great season of improvement in many ways and are pleased with all that these student-athletes have accomplished on both personal and performance levels.

One of the best things about this sport is how generous the other teams' coaches and athletes have been in helping us in these program-building seasons. Rockford has been especially supportive of our bringing more participants to the sport, and our athletes have made new friends through regular competition. It's been a lot of fun.

Steeple

Rockford's Last Chance Meet is an annual favorite (do it twice and it becomes a tradition, right?)--an opportunity for one more try at that PR or to enter something new and different. This time the hosts kicked up the fun a notch by introducing the steeplechase. It was supposed to be 2000m; but official lap counting was a bit lost in the fun, so some ran 2400-ish meters when it was all said and done. A great memory for our seniors as they finish their Nighthawk careers, too. Congrats to all who gave it a try!

2017 T&F Subsection Championships

Congratulations to all of the JV/Varsity Nighthawks who competed at the Subsection 17A Championships yesterday at Maple Lake! Both the men's and women's teams scored more points than last year. Point scorers include Erika Swanson (2nd place women's 1600 - 5:32; 3rd place 3200 - 12:01) advancing to the Section 5A Championships in both events; Jerilynn Simmer (5th women's 800 - 2:38; 7th 1600, 5:47); captain Gus Spencer (5th men's 400 - 0:57.37); Luke Swanson (5th men's 3200 - 10:44) with a new team record; Drake Fraser (7th men's 1600 - 5:09); Peter Weber (8th men's 400 - 0:59.38); Gus Spencer, Phillip Kippley, Peter Weber, Jake Bendickson (6th men's' 4x400 relay - 4:06). Congratulations also to Josh Springfield for throwing team records in the shot put (34' 10") and discus (99' 9"). Hard work paid off with several other personal records, season bests, and gutsy performances. We are proud of all our athletes and the sportsmanship they show at these events as we get to know the other teams. Fun times!

Early-season Meets

Just a few of the favorite pics from last week's meets. Team records and PR's continue to fall! So proud of our Nighthawks for all the new events they're trying this season. Love this crew and the great people we get to work with. (BTW holding a competitor's blocks is high-class sportsmanship...)

Nighthawks in the News

Season preview. Fun to have so many Nighthawks recognized for their hard work!

http://pressnews.com/2017/04/14/northwest-nighthawk-home-school-track-team-heads-into-second-season/

Second Season, First Meet

Special congratulations to the following for setting Nighthawk team records: Josh Springfield (both shot put and discus), Maria Lundy (100m), Jacob Binsfeld (100m), Gus Spencer (200m), and Drake Fraser (3200m). Also congratulations to Erika Swanson for meeting the State Honor Roll standard in the 3200m. Lots of PR's out there, too. Looking forward to a great season!

Track Time

One big improvement this season is more on-the-track time. Super thankful!

Fieldhouse

Riding arena by day, shot put fieldhouse by night... We told the runners they could simulate beach running if they didn't mind dodging the shot. Kidding. Sure would be nice to see the sun after all this cloudy weather, though!

Rolling

The face pretty much sums up early-season soreness...

Bagging for Tips

Grocery bagging fundraiser at Cub Foods in Rogers. Two shifts of three hours each, and a great success. Thanks to all student-athletes and parents for serving, and thanks to the shoppers who were so generous with us!

2017 Track & Field: First Day!

Ahh, Minnesota in March. The first day of the 2017 Track & Field season was mentally tough running indoors, but this crew was on it. I have to say how impressed I was with the overall positivity out there! Of course I was too busy to think about taking pictures during the run, so you'll have to take my word for it. What does the t-shirt say, "Our sport is your sport's punishment"--or is it "Your sport is our sport's cool down"? :D O.K., we do have a few basketball players and other sharp-shooters on the team, and the rest were good sports about picking up a lively game of Lightning at the tail-end of practice. And first-day juice boxes for all. :) Thanks to everyone for being patient and flexible with these early day-to-day changes!

2017 Track & Field Registration is now open!

The team registration meeting was held 2/13, but you can still register even if you missed it! Practices begin 3/13. See the Registration page for your next steps.

Team Academic Awards - 2016 CC

Congratulations to our varsity cross country Nighthawks for earning team academic excellence awards from the coaches' association!