Kayla Christopherson broke into a big smile when she crossed the finish line.
The newly crowned Section One, Class A girls cross country champion then calmly walked down the chute that funneled runners off the course at Northern Hills Golf Course. She stopped at the end, turned and shook hands with each of the 133 other runners in the Section 1A meet.
The diminutive Austin Pacelli eighth-grader looked like she didn't even break a sweat.
"That's just how she is, she's fun to have around all the time," Pacelli coach Jim Parlin said. "The success she's had doesn't go to her head at all. She's very humble and a genuinely nice kid. She always worries and cares about others."
Christopherson covered the newly constructed 4k course on the west side of Northern Hills in 15:40.3, 3.3 seconds ahead of runner-up Liv Kozlowski of Lake City.
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"I knew (winning) was a possibility, but I didn't know if it could actually happen," a visibly happy Christopherson said just moments after the race. "My goal was to get back to state and hopefully set a (personal record)."
She'll be going back to state for a second consecutive year, after placing 62nd last year in a time of 16:02.4.
"She's a great runner, has great form and a lot of drive," Parlin said, "but she's very competitive once the gun goes off.
"She has really developed into a smart runner. She's not just going out and running without thinking about it, she runs a smart race."
Dover-Eyota captured the team title, with 70 points, and is going back to state for a fourth time in five years. The Eagles had all seven of their runners place in the top 31, while their five scoring runners all placed in the top 27. They were led by freshman Annika Juenemann, who placed fourth in a time of 15:50.5. Senior Megan Rowe also placed in the top 10, finishing eighth (16:00.9).
Rochester Lourdes will also run at state. The Eagles finished second, with 97 points, and were paced by senior Catherine Degen's third-place finish (15:45.3). This will be the ninth time in 11 years that Lourdes will compete at state.
BOYS
Emery, Lake City claim titles
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Zack Emery had a strategy in mind when he saw the newly designed 5k course at Northern Hills.
"I wanted to hold back until we got to the hills (just more than a mile into the 3.1-mile race)," the La Crescent sophomore said. "I wanted to hang back and let the other guys go out fast, I just couldn't let them get too far out front."
Emery executed his plan to perfection, taking the lead approximately halfway into the race and holding onto it the rest of the way to become the Section 1A boys cross country champion. He pulled away from the field, finishing in 16:28.3, while runner-up Carl Kozlowski crossed the finish line in 16:46.1.
Emery, who won the Three Rivers Conference championship last week, will attempt to improve on his 29th-place finish at last year's state meet. The 2014 state meet is set for Nov. 1 at St. Olaf College in Northfield. The Class A boys race is scheduled for 10 a.m., with the Class A girls race to follow at 11 a.m.
"It definitely helps to have been there before," Emery said. "It's a fast first mile because everyone wants to get out (quickly). You can get caught up in it. It's a big race, emotional. You have to keep your emotions under control."
A pair of familiar teams will represent the section at state. Lake City captured the team championship with 68 points by placing five runners in the top 27. The Tigers were led by three sophomores — Kozlowski, Mitchell Mund (12th place, 17:30.9) and Cole Willers (14th, 17:38.0).
Lake City was last at state in 2007, when it placed 11th.
La Crescent finished as the section runner-up. The Lancers will make their 14th appearance at state, and first since placing 11th in 2010.
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Rochester Lourdes will again be represented at state by Dakota Streit. The senior finished sixth (17:05.5) on Thursday and will head to state for a second consecutive season. He placed 54th out of 175 runners last year.
