On September 14th, the Norwood Young America Lions Meet transformed Baylor Park from a calm, rural gathering spot into an athletic arena, bustling with activity, with a gathering of 17 race-ready teams.  The venue is a spectator and athlete favorite, with multiple viewing areas on the crushed gravel, cattail lined path, along Eagle Lake. While a beautiful fall day by Minnesota standards, for racers the temperature had crept up as competition time approached and there certainly was a note of humid uncomfortableness. The buzz in the White Hawks' camp, after big wins by both boys and girls teams’ the previous two weeks, was, could they keep the winning streak alive and sweep yet another meet? Time would soon tell as race time approached, athletes completed their warm-ups, and proceeded to the starting line. 

The boys varsity race was a talented collection of teams, including Belle Plaine and Glencoe, standing in the way of a White Hawk team victory.  With the firing of the starting gun, the field of 120 spirited runners sprinted through an open field which transitioned to a trail path. The course then looped out past an observatory and back towards the center of the park. As the boys returned into view, they were greeted by the chants and cheers of onlookers encouraging them onwards. Senior Lance Nemecek was the first Westonka athlete to be seen traveling with the lead group of three.  Earlier in the week, Nemecek was nominated for the Milesplit MN Runner of the Week by the nationwide web running platform.  The public poll style votes were tallied on Thursday, and in the end, Nemecek had won by a commanding lead. Lance thanked voters via social media and stated on his Twitter feed that “Our school and community is nothing short of amazing!”

Seniors Josh Engesser and Max Epsky were the next White Hawks to pass and quickly disappear onto the more secluded portion of the course. Nervous moments passed as parents, teammates and coaches, waited for the runners to return on the same trail, loop around the observatory again and race to a downhill finish. Cheers becoming audible in the distance meant runners would soon reappear, and as the view improved, Nemecek continued to hold his position in the top group with Engesser and Epsky holding spots in the top 10. At the finish, a continuous flow of exhausted runners crossed the line. Point earners for the White Hawks were Nemecek in third place with a 17:09, Engeser in 5th with a 17:26, Epsky in 7th with a 18:12, junior Jacob Trost in 11th with a 18:17, and sophomore Charlie Paul in 14th with a 18:22. Seniors Wyatt Carlson and Owen Paul rounded the field with an 18:53 and 18:59 respectively.  As the team results were calculated, the White Hawks clenched a victory with 40 points over second-place Belle Plaine’s 62. 

The varsity girls team is a perfect balance of experience and youth.  Senior Allison Soule has slashed time with each race this season, and junior Laura Sunnarborg has been the cornerstone of the team since the seventh grade.  Despite their youth, their seventh- and eighth-grade counterparts Sophia Engesser and Emma Andrev have consistently delivered top performances all season - and this day would be no different. As the starting pistol sent 102 runners out past the spectator lined course, it was Sunnarborg and Andrev holding the top White Hawk positions. The return trip had a change in position with Andrev ahead of Sunnarborg by 15 seconds with a half mile to the finish. In the end there was crowned a new queen of White Hawk girls team: Emma Andrev, who came in 4th at 20:16. Other impressive finishers were Sunnarborg with 20:38 in 5th, Soule with 21:20 in 12th, sophomore Brook Garlock with 22:05 in 18th, Sophia Engesser with 22:07 in 20th and freshman Gabby Callahan with 22:28 in 24th The final score revealed another White Hawk victory of 59 over second place Belle Plaine’s 85.

A thrilled Coach Butch Humbert used a musical analogy reflecting on the team’s recent successes, “All sections of our orchestra are playing beautifully, so to speak, and a lot of hardware came home on the busses last night.  Also, many of our newer and younger runners continue to make great strides on their fitness journey, and it is a pleasure to watch it develop each day.”

The Junior Varsity boys contributed to the sweep by placing first over Belle Plaine by nine points.  White Hawks earned the third through fifth places, led by Senior Henry Kluever and Junior Ethan Garlock, each finishing in 19:16, and Sophomore Brandon Knock at 19:26. Sophomore Matthew Van Edeskuty was close behind at seventh in 19:48.  Freshman Isaac Hays completed the team score at 20:26.  The Junior Varsity girls also placed three runners in the Top Five with eighth grader Payton Stover in second at 23:08, Sophomore Cassie Nemecek claiming third at 23:19, and Freshman Claire Rashleger coming in fifth at 24:10.

The middle school boys took first for the fourth meet in a row, easily beating second place Belle Plaine by 29 points. The boys had four seventh and eighth graders complete the one-mile race in under six minutes, including Liam Grant, Drew Carlson, and Luke Sunnarborg. Owen Trost and Bobby Trost also had great races to contribute to the White Hawks win.

Certain members of the team also participated in the Delano Invitational on September 16, a hot and humid day with the temperature nearing 90. Thankfully the wooded trail at the Lake Rebecca Park Preserve provided some shade for the runners, but the heat was still sweltering.

Coach Butch Humbert gave his varsity teams the day off, which opened roster for new runners.  The meet combined the Junior Varsity and Varsity races, taking the top runners from each team for the Varsity score and adding up the other scores for JV.  Westonka’s young Varsity team placed fourth, led by sophomores Matthew Von Edeskuty and Brandon Knock, at 20:13 and 20:31.  The remainder of the varsity Westonka finishers included eighth graders Liam Grant, Gavin Thelen, and Luke Sunnarborg, along with ninth graders, Isaac Hays and Isaac Aud.

The boys middle school team continued their undefeated streak by tying Delano, even with two of their top runners moving up to the Varsity meet.  Four of the top six places went to Mound Westonka, with seventh grader Drew Carlson placing second in 12:15 in the 3000-meter race.  He was followed by Owen Trost, Brendan Rashleger, and Bobby Trost, taking fourth through sixth.  Seventh grader Ellie Cordahl came in third for the girls middle school at 15:16, with fellow seventh grader Cheyenne Stevens placing seventh.

Next up for the White Hawks on Tuesday, September 21, is the Grasshopper at Gale Woods for JV and middle school. Saturday, September 25, is the Milaca Mega Meet - the largest single-day high school cross country meet in the world.  Go to www.milacamegameet.com for details.