NORTHFIELD – No, the United South Central Rebels didn’t bring home any trophies or medals from the state high school cross country meet.

Monday, November 05, 2001

NORTHFIELD – No, the United South Central Rebels didn’t bring home any trophies or medals from the state high school cross country meet.

They did, however, carry off a couple participation plaques. And this year, that was enough.

The Rebels ended what coach Kent Viesselman called an outstanding season at St. Olaf College in Northfield Saturday, where the boys finished 12th and the girls 13th among 16 Class A schools.

Viesselman, whose boys’ team won a eighth consecutive Section 2A title this year, admitted it was an excellent achievement to get both squads to state.

&uot;It’s especially gratifying this year,&uot; said Viesselman. &uot;Our numbers are small, and we just plain could not afford any injuries. The kids worked hard, they bought into what we’re doing, and their attitudes have been tremendous – I think that was the key.

&uot;We had a great season, both the boys’ and girls’ teams,&uot; added Viesselman. &uot;It’s been a lot of fun. The kids didn’t want the season to end. Neither did I.&uot;

Staples-Motley dominated the boys’ meet, winning with 68 points. The Rebels had 254 points.

Places and times for the USC boys, with overall place first and team place second: Justin Youngblom, 39th, 20th, 17:30.9; Casey Christenson, 69th, 42nd, 18:08.6; Eric Langsev, 73rd, 46th, 18:12.7; Trevor Rollenhagen, 98th, 69th, 18:48.8; Chris Vondracek, 106th, 77th, 19:07.7; Jake Stenzel, 125th, 95th, 19:37.5.

Youngblom said the Rebels’ performance was not indicative of their season.

&uot;This meet really didn’t show how our season went,&uot; said Youngblom. &uot;It was an O.K. meet, not anything exceptional. A lot of teams were close in a pack. We were only 23 points out of eighth place. The highlights this year were winning back-to-back South Central Conference titles and winning the section for the eighth time in a row.&uot;

New London-Spicer nipped Paynesville for the girls’ title, 96-107. The Rebels had 276 points.

Places and times for USC: Jamie Klein, 26th overall, 12th team, 15:54.1; Sara Bias, 42nd, 23rd, 16:09.7; Lindsey Rauenhorst, 98th, 72nd, 17:12.7; Michelle Sonnek, 101st, 75th, 17:15.1; Kirsten Langsev, 120th, 94th, 18:02.0; Amelia Treptow, 125th, 99th, 18:15.7; Angie Stenzel, 129th, 103rd, 18:34.4.

There were 139 runners in both the boys’ and girls’ race.

Sonnek, a junior who has been on the team since eighth grade, said this was her most enjoyable season to date.

&uot;We had a lot of fun,&uot; said Sonnek. &uot;It was fun to have been here for the experience, basically.&uot;

And getting there, according to Sonnek, has a lot to do with Viesselman.

&uot;He does an excellent job, whether he realizes it or not,&uot; said Sonnek. &uot;He helps us in a lot of ways.&uot;