By Tony Chapman and Chris Basnett – For the Nebraska School Activities Association
The 66th NSAA boys state cross country championships and 46th girls edition take their place in the championship rotation on Friday, October 24 at the Kearney Country Club. Through district qualifying last Thursday, 862 individuals qualified with most runners a part of the 114 teams that advanced to the state meet.
In Classes A and B, there are 12 teams in both boys and girls races with individuals that also were in the top-15 at one of the four district meets advancing. For Class C, 15 teams qualified in five districts with the same rules for individual qualifiers advancing. Finally, Class D qualifies 18 teams in six districts. The Class D girls race will begin the championships this season when it starts the eight race event at noon. (Full race schedule)
New to cross country? Team scoring works just a little bit different in each class. In Class A, teams run seven runners and count the finishing place of the top five for the team score. This changes to six-count-four for classes B and C and then moves to five-count-three for Class D. Team ties are broken by the highest placing of the first non-counting team member. Individual medals are awarded to the top-15 finishers in each race.
Up-to-date championship information will be delivered via the NSAA Cross Country Championship HQ page with live results on athletic.net via Black Squirrel Timing.
RACE DAY ESSENTIALS: Returning State Medalists | State Meet History | All Class Rosters
Star City: Lincoln primed for memorable day at state cross country championships
Could the city of Lincoln sweep the team and individual titles in three of four classes at Friday’s boys state cross country championships?
Remarkably, the feat is not entirely out of the question.
The Star City has the stars in 2025, with the favorites to win individual gold in Classes A, B, and C, team favorites in A and B, and a Class C squad that returns the bulk of its runners from a 2024 state runner-up squad.
“It’s kind of the tradition and standard that Lincoln, I think, we might hit above our weight a little bit when it comes to competitors and running,” Lincoln North Star coach Brian Wandzilak said. “So it’s cool to be part of that story, and this is the wave that we’re currently on right now.”
The wave is set to crash at the Kearney Country Club come Friday.
North Star, after a second-place finish last season, is the heavy favorite to bring home its first state championship.
The Gators return six of the top seven runners from last year’s team, and top runner Josiah Bitker has been beaten just once by an in-state opponent — his teammate, J’Shawn Afuh, got him by six seconds at the A-1 district meet. Afuh and senior Tyler Smith give the Gators three medal contenders, and the most depth of any team in the Class A field.
North Star has learned to embrace the role of the favorite.
“As far as expectations go, we always expect to race as hard as we can. It just so happens that puts us in a position this season to be really competitive in a lot of races,” Wandzilak said. “So it’s that cliché: just run the race you’re capable of that day, and it’s gonna be fine. And that’s been our, been our theme.
“Just don’t assume it’s going to happen and just keep racing as hard as you can. And so far so good with that. You know what? It’ll be the same message we give them Friday.”
Should Lincoln North Star and one of its runners win gold, it would break a bit of a dry spell. Lincoln’s last individual Class A champion was North Star’s Liem Chot, who won three titles in a row from 2018-20.
Prior to Chot’s three consecutive titles, a Lincoln runner had won state just twice in the previous 23 years.
The city of Lincoln’s last Class A boys team champion was Lincoln Southwest in 2019. Prior to the Silver Hawks’ title, a boys team from the capitol city hadn’t won Class A since 1999, when Lincoln Southeast completed a run of three consecutive titles.
That 1999 title was the last of 14 in an 18-year stretch won by Lincoln teams, 10 of them by Southeast.
Now, the signs point toward Lincoln getting back on top again.
And that’s just Class A.
In Class B, Lincoln Pius X is seeking its second consecutive championship, and a 12th overall title that would move the Thunderbolts to second all-time for most team championships.
With perhaps the top two runners in Class B in Joseph Majerus and David Krier, Pius X has unmatched firepower at the top of the lineup. So dominant has the duo been that, at the Harold Scott Invitational earlier this season in Lincoln, the pair played rock-paper-scissors about 400 meters from the finish to see who would cross the line first.
Pius X has never had a boys individual champion. That’s likely to change Friday.
“It’s super fun (to watch them). As a coach, this only comes around maybe once or twice in your coaching career,” said veteran Pius X coach Bill Rice. “And, they’re real good friends. They push each other in practice. Literally, they’ve run shoulder to shoulder a lot of races this year. They’ve also brought the rest of the guys up with them, for sure.”
Majerus and Krier finished fourth and fifth, respectively, behind three seniors at last year’s state meet. Pius X had four medal winners in 2024, and returned three of them this year while adding quality depth.
“Once you’ve been in that position before, you kind of understand what it takes,” Rice said. “And I think you understand the pressure involved, and they know the (Kearney Country Club) course. That’s a big factor.”
Lincoln Christian in Class C also has the chance to make a run for gold, both individually and in the team race.
The Crusaders are led by returning 2024 individual champion Trevin Opp, who closed hard to win by 27 seconds last season.
Christian was second in the team race in 2024, scoring 69 points to finish 19 points behind Holdrege. As fate would have it, Holdrege and Christian are easily the most experienced teams in the 2025 field — the Crusaders have five runners who raced at state last year while Holdrege brings back all six from its state title team.
“This is an exceptional year for Lincoln (but), it’s always had a strong running community,” Rice said. “I think it starts with the Lincoln Marathon, and the Good Life Halfsy; the Running Company and Fleet Feet, they both have great running communities. And Lincoln’s had such great cross country and track coaches throughout the years, with a lot of those coaches coaching, 20, 30, 40, 50 years.
“Running has always been strong around the community.”
Friday is a chance for the strength to pay off in a historic way.
Class A District Team Champions: Lincoln East, Lincoln North Star, Millard North, Omaha Creighton Prep.
Other Team Qualifiers: Elkhorn South, Fremont, Grand Island, Lincoln Southwest, Millard West, North Platte, Papillon-LaVista South, South Sioux City
District Individual Champions: Aden Soto (Fremont), Ben Schlegelmilch (Lincoln East), J’Shawn Afuh (Lincoln North Star), Aiden Gehring (Papillion-LaVista South).
CLASS B: Led by perhaps the top two runners in Class B, Lincoln Pius X heads to state as the favorite to repeat last season’s championship.
Seniors David Krier and Joseph Majerus, who finished fourth and fifth, respectively, behind three seniors at last year’s championships, lead the way for Pius X. They were the only two Class B runners to go below the 16-minute mark at districts, and did so with ease, as the Thunderbolts took six of the top nine individual places.
Elkhorn and Elkhorn North will try to chase the Bolts down, as will upstart Grand Island Northwest. A Pius X win would mean three schools (Pius X, Omaha Skutt, Lexington) have won the last nine Class B boys championships. The Thunderbolts are trying to repeat as champions for the first time since winning three in a row from 1981-83.
District Team Champions: Elkhorn, Elkhorn North, Lincoln Pius X, Norris.
Other Team Qualifiers: Alliance, Gretna, Gretna East, Northwest, Omaha Skutt Catholic, Scottsbluff, Seward, Waverly.
District Individual Champions: Derek Rieck-Capellan (Elkhorn North), David Krier (Lincoln Pius X), Ethan Smith (Northwest), Jared Schroeder (Waverly).
CLASS C: Lincoln Christian junior Trevin Opp, who won last year’s Class C state championship by nearly 27 seconds to give the Crusaders their first boys cross country champion, returns to defend his title.
Opp’s team will be in the hunt for gold, too, returning five of the top six runners from last year’s state runner-up. The defending state champion, Holdrege, also returns five of the top six runners from its 2024 squad, led by sophomore Sam McQuistan.
A pair of Gothenburg runners, junior Tyler Hetz and sophomore Bryson Neels, will push for individual gold, as will Mount Michael’s Mesach Nkurubujango.
District Team Champions: Fort Calhoun, Holdrege, Lincoln Christian, Pierce, Wilber-Clatonia,
Other Team Qualifiers: Bloomfield-Wausa, Elkhorn Mt. Michael, Gothenburg, Malcolm, Milford, Minden, Omaha Concordia, O’Neill, Palmyra, Syracuse
District Individual Champions: Mesach Nkurubujango (Elkhorn Mt. Michael), Tyler Hetz (Gothenburg), Trevin Opp (Lincoln Christian), Avery Carter (Milford), Brenden Bolling (Pierce).
CLASS D: Tri County has been at or near the top of the Class D coaches rankings all season, and heads to state having held the No. 1 spot for the last five weeks.
One of just two state qualifiers from 2024 to return all of its runners in 2025, Tri County will rely on its depth to try and win its first-ever cross country state championship. All five Trojan runners finished in the top 11 at the D-1 district meet, with a little more than a minute separating the group.
Perkins County junior Elijah Goodell, who finished second at state last season to teammate Mason McGreer, is the only returning Class D runner to break the 16-minute mark at last year’s state meet. Doniphan Trumbull’s Kaser Johnson will also challenge for gold.
District Team Champions: Boyd County, Doniphan-Trumbull, Norfolk Catholic, North Platte St. Pat’s, South Loup, Tri-County
Other Team Qualifiers: Alma, Axtell, Cornerstone Christian, Creighton, Freeman, Hemingford, Homer, McCool Junction, Nebraska Christian, Perkins County, Ord, Stanton
District Individual Champions: Benjamin Nelson (Boyd County), Kaser Johnson (Doniphan-Trumbull), Kael Garrett (Medicine Valley), Theodore Haake (Norfolk Catholic), Elijah Goodell (Perkins County), Drew Siems (Tri-County).
Girl Power: New Stars Bring Record-Setting Pace to Kearney
Elli Dahl’s 2021 trip around the Kearney Country Club course is still fresh in many minds in the cross country world – her 17:57.93 time the only sub-18:00 time ever recorded on the 5,000 meter course for a female athlete.
But, the power of female running has risen even more since Dahl’s history making loop. And it might come to a full head of steam on Friday when a slew of Class A standouts, in addition to Omaha Duchesne’s CeCe Kramper (Class B) and Crofton’s Avery Arens (Class D) take the stage.
Dahl’s record – with predicted cool and cloudy weather – could be taken down more than once from this powerful crew of female runners. Papillon-LaVista South coach Jeremy Haselhorst – who has one of the runners in top-ranked freshman Emily Hegge in Class A – said the top of the sport continues to get better and better.
“I think when you look at the history over the last couple of years we are seeing some young ladies who have great talent,” Haselhorst said. “But I think when you see these breakouts, I always think about what has led to that from a culture standpoint.
“We are kind of coming off a run where some girls really pushed the bar. You look at (Elkhorn South’s) Jaci Sievers. Obviously, Elli Dahl. That’s just not too long ago and it’s really had an influence on some of the kids running now. It’s like when the four-minute mile got broken. Things are more believable.”
All eyes will be on the young Arens to start the day in Class D.
The freshman can’t even drive to school yet, but she has not run an 18-minute race all season. The sister of 2015 champion Hayley and three-time champion Jordyn, Arens immediately came on the scene with her 17:06.4 at the prestigious Augustana Twilight in her first high school meet.
Crofton coach Mickey Doerr knew that Arens could be a special talent.
“Avery’s had a phenomenal season, regardless of how old she is,” Doerr said. “It’s been a very consistent season for her. She’s definitely a freshman though. She makes mistakes just like other freshmen would make. There are still some mechanics that we can work on and she has room to improve.
“But, she came in very prepared and she’s kind of like a sponge in learning. She will soak up as much as she can. And, she’s a great person and a really good student.”
In all, 11 runners have broken the 19 minute barrier – usually a state championship time – this year and the deepest group is in Class A where Haselhorst expects a fantastic race in the final girls start of the day at 3:00 PM. Hegge, along with seniors Kori McClain (North Platte) and Tatum Neilson (Bellevue West) lead a hungry pack of runners.
The top-ranked Hegge is undefeated on the season.
“First off, she’s just an awesome human being,” her coach said. “But, she is truly a student of the sport. She knows so much about kids and who is doing what from a performance standpoint not just in high school but she loves collegiate and professional races, too.
“She’s obviously very talented, but it is also something she is very passionate about, too. And that is really unique.”
Despite the undefeated season for his own runner, Haselhorst thinks this could be the most talented – and experienced – state meet field he can remember. And he’s been the head man at PLVS since the school opened in 2003. Eight of the top-15 ranked runners in Class A are seniors, while there are just nine total seniors ranked in the other three classes.
“Tatum Neilson, she’s a fighter. There is just no quit in her at all,” Haselhorst said. “McClain has tremendous foot speed and if you let her hang around, she can make you pay. Abbi Durrow is just an outstanding athlete who doesn’t even focus on running and is a tremendous competitor.
“Sydney Wendt from Lincoln High just ran a great race on the state course to win the Heartland Conference meet. The experience factor is something that we will have to be prepared for on Friday.”
Kramper, who took her running to a new level during the spring track season, was sixth in Class B last year and will be in a race that features five returning runners from the top-seven in 2024. She ran a 17:10.7 at Augustana, but has not been defeated in any other races this fall.
Doerr said that the top athletes are also getting access to better coaching all the time as well.
“Everything running-wise has kind of exploded the last few years,” Doerr said. “I think from a coaches education standpoint there are so many more opportunities to learn and go to clinics. But, I also think a lot of athletes in high school are seeing opportunities to be successful in running.”
All of it leads to what could be a historic Friday in Kearney.
Class A District Team Champions: Lincoln Southwest, Millard West, Omaha Marian, Papillon-LaVista South.
Other Team Qualifiers: Kearney, Lincoln East, Millard North, Millard South, Norfolk, North Platte, Omaha Westside, Papillon-LaVista.
District Individual Champions: Tatum Neilson (Bellevue West), Abbigail Durow (Millard South), Maya Freyer (Omaha Marian), Emily Hegge (Papillion-LaVista South).
CLASS B: Elkhorn North, with a core nucleus back from its 2024 title team, looks to repeat in Class B led by junior standout Leah Robinson who finished second last year and was the winner at the mid-season UNK Invitational.
Omaha Duchesne’s Kramper has had a breakout season after finishing sixth in last year’s race. During the spring track season, she won both the 1,600 and 3,200 at the state track meet. She’ll be chased by five of the top seven from last year including district champion Sophia Reynolds of Hastings.
District champions Elkhorn, Pius X and Seward could all have a say in the team race with Gretna, which finished second to Elkhorn North in the B-1 district, who currently ranked second by the state coaches association.
District Team Champions: Elkhorn, Elkhorn North, Lincoln Pius X, Seward.
Other Team Qualifiers: Aurora, Bennington, Crete, Gretna, Hastings, Norris, Omaha Duchesne, Omaha Skutt Catholic
District Individual Champions: Leah Robinson (Elkhorn North), Sophia Reynolds (Hastings), Cece Kramper (Omaha Duchesne), Haylen Holliday (Seward).
CLASS C: One of the great team races of the 2024 meet was the Class C race where Auburn edged Scotus Central Catholic 64-68 for team honors followed closely by Gothenburg. Those three will all be back this year with second-ranked Chase County and third-ranked Adams Central also figuring into another close team race.
The individual race will be full of youth, but they are experienced.
Just two of the top-15 ranked runners in the class are seniors. Leading the pack could be a pair of sophomores – Avery Heinrich of Scotus Central Catholic and Scout Bell of Gothenburg. They finished second and fourth in Kearney last fall. Bell won the C-5 district, but Heinrich was edged by Wayne freshman Tayla Hurner in the C-3.
The most experience comes from Auburn’s Liston Crotty who bids to become a four-time medalist. Scotus junior Emilyn Kavan is a two-time medalist.
District Team Champions: Auburn, Chase County, Milford, Omaha Roncalli Catholic, Scotus Central Catholic.
Other Team Qualifiers: Adams Central, Bishop Neumann, Boone Central, Fort Calhoun, Gothenburg, Kearney Catholic, Lincoln Christian, Omaha Concordia, Raymond Central, Wayne.
District Individual Champions: Neva Bauer (Arlington), Scout Bell (Gothenburg), Macie Carter (Milford), Hailey Hengtgen (Palmyra), Tayla Hurner (Wayne).
CLASS D: While Arens will garner most of the headlines in the Class D race that opens the day, the race is loaded with talent including defending champion Kayleigh Betka of McCool Junction, Tri-County’s Sage Holtmeier and Niobrara/Verdigre’s Delani Runnels.
McCool Junction won the event last season and Betka and her and teammate Leah Dawson will make the Mustangs a threat to Crofton winning an unprecedented 22nd state title. The team race, where three runners are scored, could come down to key third runners. Crofton’s sister act of Cecilia and Sophia Wortmann have been just outside the top-15 all season and could give the Warriors a small advantage.
Doerr, the Crofton coach, said he believes as many as five teams – adding Gordon-Rushville and experienced Hemingford to the fold – could win the team race.
“Our team has had a very strong bond all season long,” the coach said. “Sophia (a senior) she is kind of the proverbial mom of the team and has been at state every year. Cecilia is more of a spark plug for us and the fiery one.“As a fan, I think the team race might be the most exciting out of all the classes. I think it could go to one of five or six teams. I think if you ran the race on a different day you might get a totally different result.
District Team Champions: Ainsworth, Crofton, Elm Creek, Gordon-Rushville, McCool Junction, Tri-County.
Other Team Qualifiers: Aquinas Catholic, Brady, Cambridge, Cornerstone Christian, Elkhorn Valley, Hastings St. Cecilia, Hemingford, Laurel-Concord-Coleridge, Nebraska Christian, North Central, Perkins County, Ponca.
District Individual Champions: Aysha Neal (Alma), Avery Arens (Crofton), Dakota Horstman (Hemingford), Kayleigh Betka (McCool Junction), Delani Runnells (Niobrara/Verdigre), Sage Holtmeier (Tri-County).
Tony Chapman is a freelance writer based in Grand Island. He has written for multiple Nebraska daily and weekly newspapers. His weekly Harvest Sports Newsletter covers a wide variety of Nebraska prep sports.
Chris Basnett is a freelance writer based in Lincoln. He has covered prep and college sports for more than 20 years and most recently was the assistant sports editor at the Lincoln Journal Star. He currently provides content for the Harvest Sports Newsletter.