The North Central Conference Cross Country Championships will take place Tuesday at Maynes Grove.
Clear Lake is the expected contender for the boys team title, entering with five scoring runners with season-best times within the top 10 of the conference leaderboard. Locally, Hampton-Dumont-CAL sophomore Conner Miller has the 16th-fastest time in the field.
In the girls race, #18 (3A) Clear Lake has four runners with top 10 times in the league. IFA/AGWSR junior Demi Beaubien has the second-fastest time in the field at 19:57. Teammate Piper Smith has the seventh-fastest time at 21:00.
Hampton-Dumont-CAL coach Traci Moorehead says the conference meet is a gauge for where student-athletes stand in regards to postseason contention.
“We just hope as the season continues to go on, you get in better shape and your times are going lower and everything like that,” Moorehead says. “So we’re just excited about that. The kids work hard day in and day out and just get along so well. It’s just such a fun atmosphere. A couple people have said, ‘I’ve never been to a cross country meet,’ and I just said there’s no better place. Like everyone’s cheering for everyone and it’s just exciting, and I think our kids will continue to work hard as we finish out the year and have some great times to finish out the season.”
The boys race will begin at 4:55 p.m., followed by the girls race at 5:25.
