Rugby coach Bill Jansen thought if his team could get five runners place in the top 50 his squad had a good chance of cracking the top five. Well, the team had four runners achieve that, and the Panthers’ had to settle for seventh out of 35 teams.

“If we would have been able to get five in the the top 50 we would have ended up fourth,’ Jansen said. “It would have been nice to get up there on the awards stand, but the girls competed hard and seventh is pretty darn good.”

Like the boys squad, several on the girls squad were also battling sickness, but toughed it out.

Sophomore Sydney Kraft earned all-state honors for a third straight year, finishing ninth, completing the 4,000 meter course in 15:59.

Kraft won last year’s race, and set a goal of another top five finish. “I’m a little disappointed, but I felt like I gave it everything I could,’ Kraft said. “Next year I’m going to train harder.”

Junior Crystal Hovland ran her best race of the season, and nearly earned all-state honors. Hovland finished 22nd, which was seven places better than last year. She led the first half-mile.

“I think I was much more disappointed in that fact she just missed all-state honors than she was,’ Jansen said. “She broke the 17:00 minute mark and just ran so well.”

Senior Chelsea Halvorson finished 35th; freshman Jenna Fossum was 46th and senior Mariya Bernhardt was 79th.

“Chelsea felt good about her race,’ Jansen said. “It was nice to see her end her career on a good note.”

Other finishers included eight grader Hannah Christenson, 92nd; senior Stephanie Friestad, 117; and eighth grader Kayla Voeller, competing in her first 4,000 meter race, was 163rd.

Carleen Shively and Aubrey Hovland, who both competed at the region meet, did not run due to illness.

Rugby scored 191 team points. Watford City captured the Class B title with 82 points. Griggs Co. Central was runner-up with 109 points.

Leeds eighth grader Alyssa Anderson only ran in two meets this season, but that didn’t stop her from earning all-state honors. Anderson finished fourth at the Class B state meet, finishing the 4,000 meters in a time of 15:33.