Tag: Wayzata Cross Country

“The Wayzata girls cross country team captured their program’s four straight Class 3A state championship. The Trojans scored a low total of just 27 points, with four runners finishing in the top ten. Maddie Gullickson won the state meet with a time of 16:44.3. Jazleen Malherek-Osorio (5th, 17:48.8), Lila Golomb (8th, 17:56.9), and Miley Clark (9th, 18:05.0) were the other Trojan runners who placed in the top ten. Morgan Waechter of Hopkins took 23rd with a time of 18:39.9. Maple Grove’s April Watson placed 28th in a time of 18:47.6. Naomi Dybvig of Armstrong clocked an 18:53.9, good for 32nd. On the boys side, Wayzata’s Thomas Berndt took 12th with a time of 15:49.6. Lucas Capistrant of Maple Grove was the Crimson’s top runner, finishing 28th with a time of 16:04.8. Champlin Park’s top runner was Zakariya Mohamed, taking 34th with a time of 16:10.0. The Wayzata boys finished second overall as a team, only behind the Class 3A state champions, Blaine.” via CCX Media.

Images Courtesy Candice Leddy.

“The Wayzata boys and girls cross country teams each defended their titles Wednesday at the Section 6AAA meet. The Wayzata boys placed four runners in the top six and five in the top 12 to win the team championship, ahead of Minneapolis Washburn who also qualify for state as team runner-up. Thomas Berndt was the Trojans top runner, placing second in a time of 16:06 while Will Chabot, Matthew Jenneke, and Connor Viera finished fourth through sixth. Armstrong’s Benaiah Breker finished ninth to grab an individual state qualifier spot. In the girls’ meet, Wayzata was even more dominant getting in the first four and five of the top six runners. Trojans’ senior Maddie Gullickson won the 5K in a time of 17:26.5 while teammates Jazleen Malharek-Osorio, Alissa Ledman, and Miley Clark finished second through fourth and Addison Neitz was sixth. Naomi Dybvig of Armstrong placed seventh and qualified for state as did team runner-up Hopkins with Morgan Waechter and Sam Fuller leading the Royals with eighth and ninth place finishes. The state meet is November 1st at the University of Minnesota’s Les Bolstad Golf Course.” via CCX Media.

The Wayzata girls’ cross country team ran away with the Lake Conference Championship Wednesday at Gale Woods Farm, placing five runners in the top eleven and finishing well ahead of the field.

Senior Maddie Gullickson set the pace from start to finish, winning the 5,000-meter race in 17:27.8. Teammates Lila Golomb (third, 17:53.2) and Jazleen Malherek-Osorio (fourth, 18:11.6) kept the Trojans at the front throughout the race. Miley Clark finished seventh in 18:22.0, and Alissa Ledman rounded out the scoring five in eleventh place at 18:39.6.

Addison Neitz (17th, 19:11.9) and Chloe Kissell (22nd, 19:20.4) provided additional depth for Wayzata’s varsity lineup.

The Trojans finished with a team total of 26 points, far ahead of St. Michael-Albertville (61), Edina (85), Hopkins (100), and Eden Prairie (112). Minnetonka, Maple Grove, and Buffalo rounded out the team standings.

The victory continued Wayzata’s tradition of dominance in the Lake Conference and positioned the team as a clear contender heading into the Section 6AAA Championship later this month.

Top Wayzata Finishers – Lake Conference Championships (5K)

1. Maddie Gullickson — 17:27.8 (SR)
2. Lila Golomb — 17:53.2 (SR)
3. Jazleen Malherek-Osorio — 18:11.6 (SR)
4. Miley Clark — 18:22.0 (SR)
5. Alissa Ledman — 18:39.6 (PR)
6. Addison Neitz — 19:11.9 (PR)
7. Chloe Kissell — 19:20.4 (SR)

Team Results

1. Wayzata — 26
2. St. Michael-Albertville — 61
3. Edina — 85
4. Hopkins — 100
5. Eden Prairie — 112
6. Minnetonka — 123
7. Maple Grove — 166
8. Buffalo — 199

Images contributed by Candice Leddy. Readers are invited to share team information, photos, and video for future coverage by contacting Dan Gustafson at dan@wayzata.com or 952-473-1000.

The Wayzata High School girls cross country team opened the 2025 season with a performance that was both dominant and deep. At the St. Olaf High School Showcase in Northfield on Thursday, August 28, the Trojans didn’t just win — they overwhelmed the field, scoring 27 points to outpace runner-up Forest Lake (127) and third-place Chaska (144).

Wayzata’s front-running trio swept the podium. Senior Maddie Gullickson won the 5K in 18:14.82, followed by fellow senior Lila Golomb in 18:22.16 and classmate Jazleen Malherek-Osorio in 18:49.10.

The Trojans sealed the title with senior Miley Clark (10th, 19:27.15) and freshman Alissa Ledman (11th, 19:29.61). Junior Aubrey Smith finished close behind in 12th at 19:30.47, and senior Chloe Kissell added a top-20 performance in 19:52.80.

Wayzata’s pack was relentless. Inside the top 50 were Ava Doherty (42nd, 20:39.90), Addison Neitz (43rd, 20:45.15), Raychel Tong (45th, 20:46.25), and Sawyer Backer (50th, 20:59.18).

From there, the Trojan depth only grew. Sophomores Naoko Neitz (110th, 22:24.96) and Grace Marley (129th, 23:00.41), juniors Keira Wiley (144th, 23:21.54), Emery Stoltenberg (160th, 23:40.89), and senior Cyrena Carr (186th, 24:16.61) highlighted a steady stream of finishers through the middle of the pack.

Between the front-runners and the later finishers, Wayzata packed the results with athletes in the 200s. Karis Pope(202nd, 24:42.01), Catherine Sengupta (204th, 24:46.48), Anna Denzin (205th, 24:49.11), Julia Corless (206th, 24:49.44), Gabby Shetka (210th, 24:56.22), Rachel Frank (220th, 25:10.86), Zeilyn Rico (222nd, 25:12.65), Olivia Brinza (225th, 25:15.15), Piper Nielsen (230th, 25:17.84), Layla Mueller (234th, 25:25.29), Gretta Baumgart (241st, 25:39.95), Sonja Pendergast (251st, 25:56.23), Reese Horsley (269th, 26:23.81), Marin Unger-McMillan (270th, 26:26.11), Saige Schmidt (283rd, 26:46.37), Lipi Meher (284th, 26:46.59), Sophia Randall (286th, 26:50.03), Haidyn Lambert (287th, 26:52.92), Elizabeth Fackert (288th, 26:55.40), Minnie Jackson (290th, 26:57.90), and Angel Kim (292nd, 27:03.24).

By the final pages of results, Wayzata athletes were still crossing the line in uniform — from Quinn DeWolf (307th, 27:32.84) and Graceyn Ostendorf (312th, 27:41.70) to Emma Han (393rd, 31:23.64) and Nidia Sreejith (407th, 32:38.10).

In all, 65 Wayzata runners placed in the top 500 runners in the showcase, making the Trojans not only the fastest team on the course but also the largest presence. The showing underscored the program’s remarkable depth: seasoned seniors up front, a mix of underclassmen in scoring roles, and dozens more athletes gaining valuable early-season experience.

For a community that has long taken pride in its tradition of excellence, the season opener at St. Olaf was another reminder: Wayzata cross country doesn’t just win races — it builds a program from top to bottom.

Final Team Standings (Top 5)

1. Wayzata – 27
2. Forest Lake – 127
3. Chaska – 144
4. Minneapolis Southwest – 160
5. Mankato East – 186

Up Next

The Trojans won’t wait long to test themselves again. On Saturday, September 13, Wayzata heads to Flying Cloud Fields in Eden Prairie for the annual Metro Invitational, a large-scale evening showcase that draws many of the state’s top programs. The girls varsity race is scheduled for 5:00 p.m., giving the Trojans a chance to measure their early-season form against a deep field of metro competition as they continue building toward conference and state meets.

Feature Your Team on Wayzata.com

If your student-athlete is competing this season and you’d like their team, results, and photos/videos featured on Wayzata.com, we’d love to hear from you. Please email dan@wayzata.com or call / text 952-473-1000 with details, rosters, results links, and any media you’re able to share. We’ll help spotlight their hard work for the whole community.

“The Wayzata girls cross country team won their program’s seventh overall and third straight state meet last fall. Another state title this season would give the Trojans’ their eighth state championship and give them the stand-alone state record for most ever state titles. However, Wayzata is more focused on the day-to-day improvement in practice rather than the state meet. The Trojans return five of their top seven runners from a season ago, Maddie Gullickson, Lila Golomb, Jazleen Malherek-Osorio, Miley Clark, and Aubrey Smith. Gullickson, Golomb, and Malherek-Osorio all finished in the top ten at last year’s state meet.” via CCX Media.