We’re grateful for the support we received at Perham and we’re excited to bring that same energy to our home meet at Bluestem! With only a few race opportunities remaining, let’s enjoy competing together and continue to race with confidence in the work we’ve put in.
Moorhead Spuds
Cross Country
Issue #6 · Fall 2026
Spuds XC Newsletter - Fall 2026
Two Team Wins
At Perham.
At Perham.
Twenty six schools at Arvig Park. The middle school girls and the JV boys took team titles, with four more Spud squads on the podium behind them.
From the Coaching Staff
Coach's Comments
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Photo: RWP
Oct 13 · Perham Invite · Arvig Park, Perham
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MS Girls
1st
JV Boys
1st
MS Boys
2nd
V Girls
2nd
JV Girls
2nd
V Boys
4th
The Moorhead Spuds competed at the Perham Invitational on Tuesday, October 13. Twenty six schools were at Arvig Park for a fast and fun day of racing. Full results are available here.
The girls middle school started the day with a team victory. The team was led by an impressive 1-2 finish from Addyson Thiel and Amelia Thiel, who crossed the line in 12:39.4 and 12:46.5, respectively. Asha Olson added a fourth place finish in 12:53.1, while Ever Osvold placed seventh in 13:44.6 and Kinley Larson finished 10th in 13:53.8. The boys middle school team finished as runner up in their team competition, led by an individual victory from Jack Fay in 11:23.8. Andrew Clark finished sixth in 11:55.0, Toren Rinehardt placed ninth in 12:05.0, Aiden Mullen was 18th in 12:30.7, and Caden Kloeckner rounded out the top five in 22nd at 12:38.1.
The varsity girls and JV girls teams placed second in their races. At the varsity level, Sophia Johnson led the Moorhead girls with an eighth place finish in 18:58.4. Isabelle Lockhart placed 17th in 19:35.0, Audrey Humeniuk finished 29th in 20:07.2, Barrett Sokness was 39th in 20:33.6, and Ellie Rossland finished just behind in 40th at 20:33.7. Ava Stout placed 41st in 20:34.9, while Lauren Gess rounded out the top seven in 47th at 20:50.7. In the girls JV race, Isabelle Thibert paced the Spuds with a third place finish in 20:59.9. Abigail Garcia-Garcia followed in seventh at 21:24.8, Bella Zuehlsdorff placed 11th in 21:42.1, Elsa Pennington finished 13th in 21:48.5, and Sophia Petik rounded out the top five in 19th at 21:58.6.
The varsity boys placed fourth in a highly competitive team battle. Kade Polomny, who finished 11th in 16:22.6, was the first to cross the line. Conner Copeland followed in 15th at 16:30.8, while Joshua Anderson placed 35th in 17:20.0 and Dylan Riepe finished 40th in 17:28.3. Freshman Spencer Polomny was close behind in 41st at 17:29.2, with Alexander Clark placing 42nd in 17:33.5 and Donnie Copeland finishing 44th in 17:36.0. The JV boys displayed great depth in winning their team competition with five runners inside the top eight. Jonathan Nelson and Evan Miller finished second and third, respectively, both recording times of 17:41.2. Gabe Cragg was fourth in 17:52.8, Andrew Jaeger finished seventh in 18:04.6, and River Jacobson placed eighth in 18:15.8.
The Spuds will wrap up the regular season at the Moorhead Invite on Monday, October 19.
Watch
Perham Recap
Twenty six schools at Arvig Park.
Core Values
Spud Shoutouts
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Perham Invite
Runners of the Meet
Embracing Challenge
Abi Garcia-Garcia
Sophomore
Abi earned a shout out for embracing and overcoming challenge, and for excellence in continuing to improve. She ran a personal best at Perham.
Embracing Challenge
Alex Clark
Sophomore
Alex earned a shout out for continuing to challenge himself in races, and it paid off at Perham with a lifetime best 5k.
Athlete photos: RWP
Class of 2026
Senior Features
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In their own words. Right click or press and hold to save a card.
Once a Spud
Spuds Alumni
Spud XC alums competed across the region over the past week. On Sunday, October 11, Danielle Malone (’23) and MSU Mankato placed ninth at the D2 Pre National Meet in Lawrence, Kansas.
On Friday, October 16, two Spuds competed in different races at the Bradley Pink Classic in Peoria, Illinois. Jacki Johnson (’25) and Augustana placed 14th in the red division, while Lauren Heneman (’25) and St. Thomas placed third in the white division.
On Saturday, October 17, Henry Theye (’26) notched a personal best as he and his Concordia teammates competed at the Interregional Invitational in Rock Island, Illinois.
Coming Up
Week Ahead
The Spuds are back at Bluestem on Monday, October 19 for the Moorhead Invite. Varsity and JV girls open at 3:30, middle school at 4:00, varsity and JV boys at 4:30, and the elementary mile at 5:00. Awards and senior recognition follow at the gazebo at 5:15.
Mon, Oct 19
Moorhead Invite
MHS Varsity/JV, Horizon 7-8, Elementary Mile
MHS Varsity/JV, Horizon 7-8, Elementary Mile
Bluestem Center for the Arts · Moorhead, MN
Thank You to Our Sponsors
Their support puts Spuds on the course.
Sponsor Spuds XC
Spuds Cross Country is looking for community business sponsorships.
Spud Sponsor
$500
Spud Partner
$250
Spud Supporter
$100
Every sponsor receives:
- Your logo in every newsletter, going out to team families and alumni, linked to your website.
- A picture of the team to display at your business.
- A handwritten thank you from the XC captains.