Local runners are headed to State
PIERCE — The Bloomfield-Wausa girls cross country team is heading to the Class C state cross country finals Friday in Kearney after finishing third at the C-3 District meet last week.
The team was led by senior Darla Nelson, who won the individual crown with a 19:56.87 run and she was helped along by 14 th -place junior Christina Martinson (21:50.76), 22 nd -place freshman Tiernee Freeman (22:34.83), 26 th -place junior Madie Ziegler (22:51.22) and 30 th -place senior Emily Woockman (23:34.03).
“Bloomfield-Wausa has had a good run at the state meet for the last five years,” longtime head coach Duane Wilken said of the perennial state threat. “Bree Eisenahuer and Ann Woockman kind of got us going in 2016, when they qualified for the state meet and Bree medaled there. We’ve been down there ever since with some good to great success.”
In 2019, the girls were Class D runners-up and finished third at last year’s meet. The boys finished third a number of years ago, according to Wilken.
“This year has been a struggle for us with two girls having stress fractures, athletes having COVID, some having knee issues and others just generally not being healthy,” Wilken said. “The kids did a great job and put all of that stuff behind and competed very well at districts. I couldn’t be prouder of them. Some were not in as good of condition as they would have liked to have been, but you have to take where you are at, and be thankful to God for giving you what he has.”
Junior Addison Smith finished second individually to advance to state with a time of 16:47.91. Teammate Tyler Hanson finished with an 18:47.82 run for 24 th place.
Devin Rosberg and Cade Wakeley also ran at the district meet.
“I think both Addison and Darla have great opportunities to medal individually at the state meet,” Wilken said. “We are hoping for the girl’s squad to place in the top 10. The key to how the girls place will be if they can run in a pack like they did at districts and the conference meet. The district meet was the first meet all year long that the girls who I thought were my top six, actually ran together because of injury or sickness.
“I think the key to getting another great race will be to focus on positive thoughts and keeping that positive mantra going throughout the race. The girls had written on their arms before the district meet to ‘give the glory to God.’”
Nelson said that the team made it through the adversity it faced as the program is buoyed with the confidence of being a strong one.
“We had to work really hard, and I am really glad we all made it to state,” Nelson said. “We didn’t know if we would because we have had a lot of competition and injuries and had to overcome a lot. I am really glad about that.
“Everyone on the team would have been disappointed to not make it to state and we all knew we had to try our best and work hard for it.” disappointed to not make it to state and we all knew we had to try our best and work hard for it.”
Nelson says the expectation of the program is now at the point where running on the final weekend is one that is to be not just hoped for, but expected.
“We will run to the best of ability and for fun, and that’s what we will do at state,” Nelson said. “With this being our last race, we going to put it all out there.
“Putting on that jersey, you carry a sense of pride because you know you worked hard for it and you have a reputation to maintain and it makes you want to try harder to fulfill that reputation.”
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