We are incredibly grateful for the energy and support our Spud student-athletes and families brought to last week's 8AAA Preview Meet, especially with the opportunity to compete at home for the first time since 2018. It was a great day, and we are looking forward to three more meets at Bluestem this fall. As we prepare for the Border Battle on Saturday, we are continuing to focus on commitment and consistency, understanding that progress comes from stacking good days on top of good days. There is still much room for us to grow this fall if we are committed to the positive behaviors and mindsets we have learned so far.
Moorhead Spuds
Cross Country
Issue #3 · Fall 2026
Spuds XC Newsletter - Fall 2026
Girls Take The Title
At Home.
At Home.
Moorhead hosted the 8AAA Preview at Bluestem, its first home cross country meet since 2018. The varsity girls won it, both middle school teams won theirs, and both junior varsity squads took second.
From the Coaching Staff
Coach's Comments
Spuds sticking around after the 8AAA Preview at Bluestem.
Sep 17 · Section 8AAA Preview · Bluestem Center for the Arts
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MS Girls
1st
MS Boys
1st
JV Girls
2nd
JV Boys
2nd
Varsity Girls
1st
Varsity Boys
5th
The Spuds hosted the 8AAA Preview Meet on Thursday, September 17, at the Bluestem Center for the Arts in Moorhead, welcoming seven teams to the course. The meet marked the first time Moorhead High School has hosted a cross country meet since 2018, giving the Spuds an opportunity to compete at home as they prepare for the upcoming Section 8AAA Championships. Full meet results are available here.
At the varsity level, the Spud girls captured the team championship, while the boys finished fifth in a competitive field. Sophia Johnson led the girls with a third place finish in 19:58.0. Audrey Humeniuk placed seventh in 20:24.6, Isabelle Lockhart finished 10th in 20:29.7, and Ellie Rossland was 16th in 21:10.8. Barrett Sokness finished 17th in 21:27.6, Lauren Gess placed 18th in 21:33.3, Ava Stout was 19th in 21:37.4, and Grace Polomny finished 23rd in 21:51.2. The Spud boys were led by Kade Polomny, who finished fifth overall in 16:37.6. Conner Copeland placed 13th in 17:02.3, Spencer Polomny finished 29th in 17:50.2, Joshua Anderson was 31st in 17:52.6, and Jonathan Nelson placed 36th in 18:06.6. Evan Miller finished 40th in 18:16.7, while Dylan Riepe was 49th in 19:14.3.
The girls race, early on. · Photo: Bill and Renee Grover
The JV teams followed with a pair of second place finishes. In the girls race, Isabelle Thibert led the Spuds in ninth place in 22:58.5, followed by Elsa Pennington in 10th at 22:59.6, Bella Zuehlsdorff in 11th at 23:02.6, Abigail Garcia-Garcia in 12th at 23:13.7, and Ella Evenson in 15th at 23:29.0. The boys JV team was paced by freshman Donald Copeland, who finished second overall in 18:09.3. RJ Loor placed sixth in 18:37.4, Gabe Cragg was ninth in 18:42.6, Gannon Helmick finished 10th in 18:43.1, and Olen Anderson rounded out the scoring five in 13th at 18:58.6.
The boys race gets out. · Photo: Bill and Renee Grover
The middle school teams closed out the day with a pair of team victories. The girls were led by Addyson Thiel, who won the race in 12:11.2, followed by Amelia Thiel in second at 12:19.9. Asha Olson finished fourth in 12:41.8, Ever Osvold placed fifth in 12:45.9, and Addison Milner rounded out the Spuds' top five in 15th at 13:20.6. The boys middle school team also claimed first place, led by an individual victory from Jack Fay in 10:42.2. Jace Evenson finished third in 10:52.4, Will Benson was fourth in 11:02.6, Andrew Clark placed 10th in 11:23.8, and Toren Rinehardt finished 11th in 11:24.9.
Watch
8AAA Preview Recap
Moorhead's first home meet since 2018, at the Bluestem Center for the Arts.
The Spuds will compete next at the Border Battle in Grand Forks, ND, on Saturday, September 26.
From the meet
Middle School Champions
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Both middle school teams won their race at the home meet.
The middle school girls, winners of the 8AAA Preview.
The middle school boys, winners of theirs.
From the coaches
Cory's Corner
He is back. Press play.
Core Values
Spud Shoutouts
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This week's focus
Commitment and Consistency
Excellence
Izzy Thibert
Senior
Izzy earned a shout out for excellence, and for the persistence underneath it. She worked through a long stretch of challenges and ran a personal best for the first time in two years.
Opportunity
Keegan Rausch
Junior
Keegan earned a shout out for opportunity, and for the maturity he brought to it. He took the chance in front of him and handled it well, and it paid off with a big personal best.
Team Shout Out
Horizon 5-6 Club
Both 5-6 Club squads placed second in the team scoring.
Athlete photos: RWP
Class of 2026
Senior Features
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In their own words. Right click or press and hold to save either card.
Once a Spud
Spuds Alumni
It was a busy weekend for Moorhead cross country alumni, with five Spud alums competing for collegiate programs across Minnesota. At the Toni St. Pierre Invite in Cold Spring on September 18, Henry Theye (’26) helped Concordia to a fifth place team finish. At the Roy Griak Invitational in Mendota Heights on September 18, Lauren Heneman (’25) helped St. Thomas to a fourth place team finish, while Danielle Malone (’23) and Minnesota State-Mankato finished eighth. At the St. Olaf Invite in Northfield on September 19, Ella Cole (’23) helped Minnesota-Duluth to a third place team finish, while Eli Schlichting (’26) helped the UMD men place sixth.
Coming Up
Week Ahead
All three squads race the Border Battle at Lincoln Park in Grand Forks. Sixteen races, first gun at 9:45 AM, and a community 3K to close the day. The Spuds run the AA varsity races.
Thank You to Our Sponsors
Their support puts Spuds on the course.
Sponsor Spuds XC
Spuds Cross Country is looking for community business sponsorships.
Spud Sponsor
$500
Spud Partner
$250
Spud Supporter
$100
Every sponsor receives:
- Your logo in every newsletter, going out to team families and alumni, linked to your website.
- A picture of the team to display at your business.
- A handwritten thank you from the XC captains.