26 October 2012

Tigers Girls' Cross Country 6th in Section 1AA Meet; Maricia Pacheco Earns State Berth




The weather was cold and blustery at the Brooktree Golf Club in Owatonna on Thursday afternoon, Oct. 25 but that didn't deter the FHS girls' cross-country team from a superlative team performance.  The Tigers claimed sixth-place in the 16-team Section 1AA meet that was highlighted by Maricia Pacheco's 12th-place finish (15:37.3). The junior captain's personal-best time earned her a berth in the state meet on Saturday, Nov. 3 at St. Olaf College in Northfield.

Head coach Heidi Revels was ecstatic with her team's effort and results and remarked, "I am so happy for our team with the huge improvement from last year. To go from third to last to sixth-place this year is very exciting. I was hoping we could get 10th and the girls certainly exceeded my expectations. It is a testament to all their hard work."

FHS totaled 198 points with a team total time of 1:21.27.5 for an average individual time of 16:17.5 and an impressive five-runner spread of 1:05.7.  Maricia Pacheco certainly earned her state berth as she needed to pass two competitors in the final 50-100 yards to cop the eighth and final state berth.  A new rule instituted by the MSHSL for this fall allows for the fastest eight times from teams outside of the top two teams to make their way to state.

"It was so thrilling to see Maricia come from behind and earn that final spot," said Revels.  "She's a great kid, a very harder worker, a good student, and such a well-rounded person and she really deserved it." Pacheco becomes the first Farmington girl to race in the state meet since boys' head coach Lisa Lippold (then Dingman) ran in the 1997 and 1998 meets.

Sophomore Sofia Chadwick, who was Farmington's top finisher in last year's sectional with a 27th-place finish, was 20th in 15:46.2.  Eighth-grader Sami Hyytinen completed a sensational first year with a clocking of 16:40.6 and 54th overall.  Senior captain Maria Kiminski closed out her career a step behind Hyytinen in 16:40.7 for 55th place.  Maricella Pacheco, Maricia's ninth-grade sister, was the Tigers fifth scorer with a time of 16:42.9 for 57th.  Sophomore Alexis Johnson was 76th in 17:06.8 and seventh-grader Alexandra Laube showed promise for the future with a run of 17:24.4, good for 88th place among the 111 varsity participants. 
Lakeville North won the 1AA team title again with 41 points with Lakeville South second (79) for the second year in a row with Northfield (137) third. Albert Lea, the Big Nine champs, finished fourth (148) and Rochester Mayo (179) was fifth.  Lakeville North, ranked sixth in AA, placed girls 2nd, 3rd, 8th, 13th, and 15th on the raw and dreary day. The Panthers had a sensational time spread of just 48.7 seconds for their five fastest racers with an average time of 15:19 per runner.
Taylor Perkins, a senior, was ranked ninth in the state and didn't disappoint for the Section 1AA runner-up squad. The Panther runner won the individual title in 14:30.6 to beat Lakeville South sophomore Kaytlyn Larson (14:50.7) by 20 seconds.  Larson's teammate, sophomore Annie Brekken was third in 15:10.2 and another Cougar runner, junior Erin Kilbride, was eighth in 15:21.6
Other state qualifiers include:

Kaia Bierman (11) - Northfield (fourth in 15:11.5)
Crissy Monson (12) - Albert Lea (fifth in 15:12.3)
Haley Splinter (12) - Austin (sixth in 15:16.8)
Madison Overby (9) - Austin (seventh in 15:18.1)
Caitlyn Domeyer (9) - Winona (ninth in 15:22)
Elise Topazin (12) - Rochester Century (10th in 15:27.5)
Sophie Butterfass (7) - Rochester Mayo (11th in 15:37.3)

Section 1AA Team Results
1)  Lakeville South     -     41
2)  Lakeville North     -     79
3)  Northfield -               137
4)  Albert Lea -               148
5)  Rochester Mayo -    179
6) Farmington -             186
7)  New Prague -            229
8)  Austin -                      233
9)  Rochester Century -235
10) Red Wing -               241
11) Owatonna -             258
12) Rochester J.M. -     262
13) Winona -                  277
14) Hastings -                 345
15) Faribault -                350
16) Kasson-Mantorville 481