COLERAINE—Ely freshman Molly Brophy and junior Caid Chittum both ran the races of their careers to date here last Thursday, and it qualified each of them for the state cross country competition set for this Saturday in Minneapolis.
Brophy, whose running prowess has been building all season paced the field, taking first among the 95 girls from around Section 7 who competed in the section finals on the 5K course at the Eagle Ridge Golf Course. Brophy finished with a time of 19:12.9, nearly ten seconds ahead of second place finisher Olivia Pascuzzi, of Chisholm.
“Molly ran an exceptional race,” said Ely Head Coach Jayne Dusich. “She was in the top three going out and led the way the last half mile or more. She ran smart and ran her best time ever.”
As an eighth-grader, Brophy finished 54th last year among 158 racers at the state tournament with a time of 20:23, so anything close to her section-winning time this year could put her into the top ten at the state meet.
Chittum, who qualified for state competition in his sophomore year, shaved more than 45 seconds off last year’s state tournament time at the sectional race with a time of 17:03.8. A similar time at Saturday’s state meet could elevate Chittum into the top 40 runners in state competition.
“Caid had a tough race as he was in a group most of the way,” said Dusich. “He stayed strong and stayed up there.”
Neither Ely team qualified for the state meet, as South Ridge took first and second in team competition while Carlton girls took second and Greenway-Nashwauk-Keewatin boys took first.
The Ely boys team finished third thanks to strong performances by Silas Solum, who finished 25th with a time of 18:04.5, freshman Brooks Brenny who finished 29th with a time of 18:18.3, and Eli Olson who finished 35th in 18:42.4. Milo McClelland finished 39th with a time of 18:48.4. Ely boys runners all posted their best times of the season in the sectional competition.
Ely’s girls team finished in a tie for fourth. Eighth-grader Mattie Lindsay helped boost Ely’s prospects with a 17th-place finish in a time of 21:02.5. Senior Claire Blauch finished 21st, with a time of 21:19.3, while Elsa Ellerbroek finished at 36th in a time of 22:05.6.
“A lot of good runners, including Mattie, Claire, Elsa, Anna (Dunn)and Kiarstin (Eaton) had their best races of the year,” said Dusich.