OWATONNA, Minn. -- Mayo freshman Sarah Rein was nervous as she prepared for

Thursday's Section One, Class AA cross country meet. Who could blame her? A year ago she finished in 11th place, three-tenths of a second away from earning a trip to state.

Rein spent last spring honing her skills on the Spartans track team as teammates Emily Lewis and Jordan Bucher pushed her to new heights. Would that extra time and devotion pay off in the wet, sloppy conditions at Brooktree Golf Course? She answered that question in emphatic fashion.

The spindly ninth-grader mucked her way through the mud to finish 10th, claiming the final individual state berth at the 14-team competition. Her time of 15:55.3 gave her nearly a 10-second cushion over the next finisher.

Despite being splattered with mud, Rein's expression afterward was easy to read.

"Relieved and really happy," she said. "I just wanted to leave everything on the course."

Oddly enough, Mayo coach Brett Carroll noted that Rein was quick to do the same last year as well. The disappointment didn't linger. Turns out all she needed was another year of seasoning.

"Just the extra experience helped out," said Carroll, who's also the Spartans track coach. "She's a great kid. She's just looking for ways to get better."

Mayo finished fifth, Century eighth and John Marshall 12th in the girls meet. The Mayo boys took sixth, Century seventh and John Marshall 12th.

Red Wing's boys and girls both finished third. Junior Bryant Blahnik placed second, while freshman Kelsee Anderson was seventh. It's Blahnik's second straight trip to state. Anderson is the first Red Wing girl to qualify since 2001.

Mayo sophomore Riley Macon took third and will join Rein next Saturday at the Class AA state meet at St. Olaf College in Northfield.

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