By Chris Bennett
Correspondent
Senior Taylor Mair led the Elkhorn Area High School girls to a sixth-place finish and qualified for state Oct. 24 at the WIAA Division 1 Watertown Sectional Meet at Watertown High School.
Mair finished the five-kilometer course in 20 minutes, 40 seconds and finished eighth overall. The WIAA Division 1 State Girls Cross Country Championships is Saturday in Wisconsin Rapids at Ridges Golf Course.
The Elkhorn girls finished one point out of fifth place at the sectional meet. The Elks finished with 160 points. Janesville Parker finished fifth with 159.
Sun Prairie won the sectional with a total of 40 points and Oconomowoc finished second (70). The top two teams and top five runners not members of one of the top two teams advance from the sectional to the state meet.
Mair advanced to state as the fifth qualifier, and edged Kettle Moraine’s Jessie Braun by 12 seconds for the final individual qualifier spot. Braun finished 10th (20:52).
“Taylor ran with confidence and put together a strong, complete race from start to finish,” Elks coach Randi Wulf said. “The rest of the girls’ team continued their impressive finish to the season.”
Mair advanced to state last season as a junior and finished Mair 106th in a field of 185 runners. She completed the five kilometer course in 20:17.
Mair’s time is more impressive when the setting of the state meet is explored. Organizers delayed the start for an hour because of frost on the golf course. Wulf said temperatures last year the morning of the race dipped to 16 degrees Fahrenheit.
Wulf said conditions at Watertown were windy, and said the course ran slower than usual.
Allyssa Reeves finished 13th for the Elks in 21:11. Maddie Barlow came in 35th (22:33) and Kassie Thompson 45th (23:04). Ryley Rand finished 59th (24:00), Alex Moreno 74th (25:11) and Alex Gonzalez 76th (25:23).
The Elkhorn boys finished 12th in team standings at Watertown with a total of 361 points. Arandu Huerta led the Elks, finishing 55th in 18:53.
Spencer Ingersol finished 64th (19:17), Colin Passler 79th (20:33) and Jacob Truesdale 81st (21:17). Peyton Sanders finished 82nd (21:23), Connor LaFavor 83rd (21:32) and Sam DiVarco 84th (22:02).