Lady Bulldogs Run Away with Championship

The Milbank Area Bulldog girls cross country team captured the Northeast Conference Championship October 6, in Webster despite very cold temperatures. Milbank Area topped the field of six teams with 31 points. Aberdeen Roncalli was named the runner-up with 34 points and Redfield-Doland came in third with 35 points. Rounding out the field were: Webster Area, fourth at 42; Deuel, fifth at 100, and Groton Area, sixth at 127.
“The Northeast Conference meet was the best meet of the season for the Milbank Area cross country teams,” stated Bulldog head coach Eric Townsend. “Both teams competed hard and ran well. The girl’s team shocked everyone by capturing the team title. We knew coming in there would be a dog fight for the title and the top four teams were separated by just 11 points.”

Leading the Lady Bulldogs, was freshman Danica Schulte, who finished fifth overall in the individual standings. Taylor Thue was close behind with a seventh place finish and Amaya Street followed in eighth place. Jatana Grajczyk secured an 11th-place medal overall.

“To place our top four girls in the top 11 was outstanding,” said Townsend. “Danica, Taylor, Amaya, and Jatana ran very well to each help the girls to the team title.”

The boys team finished in third place in the team standings with 58 points. Redfield-Doland was named the boys conference champion with 24 points and Webster Area was the runner-up with 29. Other teams in the boys division included Aberdeen Roncalli, fourth at 62; Deuel, fifth at 95; Clark-Willow Lake, sixth at 99, and Groton Area, seventh at 147.

Nick Batchelor was the top Bulldog finisher in the boys 5K race at fifth place. Alex Farrell earned a top-20 mark with 16th place and Kody Johnson finished 19th overall.

“On the boys’ side, I thought placing third as team was outstanding considering where we were a week ago with injuries and the number of young runners,” stated Townsend. “We are a young team and runners are getting better and better with each meet. I am excited how both teams are in a great position to qualify for the state meet.”

Milbank Area gets a short rest before battling at the Region 1A meet in Webster Thursday, October 13. The meet starts with the girls varsity race at 2 p.m. The top three teams and top 20 individuals advance to the State Class A meet in Huron October 22.

Complete results for Milbank Area from the NEC meet:
Varsity Girls 5K Race
5. Danica Schulte, 20:49.50; 7. Taylor Thue, 21:06.38; 8. Amaya Street, 21:18.14; 11. Jatana Grajczyk, 21:36.31; 23. Allison Leddy, 22:38.78; 24. Maiah Brown, 22:53.04; 29. Christina Lusk, 23:21.82; 30. Maddie Gustafson, 23:26.60; 31. Shea Hooth, 23:27.65; 26. Sophia Seffrood, 29:46.69.
Varsity Boys 5K Race
5. Nick Batchelor, 17:56.30; 16. Alex Farrell, 19:06.42; 19. Kody Johnson, 19:13.92; 21. Ben Harstad, 19:16.06; 23. Luke Wold, 19:22.36; 27. Zippy Bock, 19:32.22; 29. Caden Bjordahl, 19:38.28.
Junior Varsity Girls 3K Race
1. Savanna Osowski, 14:49.76; 7. Isabelle Nowick, 17:11.22; 8. Brooke Fraasch, 17:12.16; 9. Marion Mischel, 17:20.23.
Junior Varsity Boys 3K Race
1. Max McCulloch, 12:31.74; 3. Nathan Loutsch, 12:44.35; 5. Isaac Johnson, 13:16.25; 12. Jadus Medicine Crow, 13:47.38; 16. JD Lusk, 14:01.33; 30. Andrew Falk, 17:58.28.

Photo courtesy of Jodi Street. Lady Bulldog runners: Sophia Seffrood, Amaya Street, Taylor Thue, and Shea Hooth. Front row, Maddie Gustafson, Allison Leddy, Jatana Grajczyk, Danica Schulte, Maiah Brown, and Christina Lusk.