BLUE EARTH &045; Both the USC/AC boys’ and girls’ cross country teams finished one spot away from going to the state meet.

The boys finished just three points behind Fairmont to take third place while the girls were third to Blue Earth and the Cardinals.

The top two teams from the sectional advanced to the state

meet next Saturday at St. Olaf College in Northfield.

While the boys finished just outside of the top two, they will still be represented at state by senior Brad Tomschin who finished third overall in the race placing himself in the top 10 and

becoming an automatic qualifier.

Both Becca Bryson and Jamie Klein were all-section performers, but just missed top 10 finishing positions.

The girls did receive the honor of being named the 2A Section Academic Champions with a team rank that placed them in the 95th percentile.