Class B girls season preview

jayslagle
Aug 26
11 min read

Updated: Aug 28

Contributor: The Nerd

2024 State results (max possible returners)

1. 26 Elkhorn North (2 returners)

2. 32 Norris (2)

3. 74 Lincoln Pius X (6)

4. 112 Gretna (6)

5. 114 Seward (5)

6. 119 Omaha Duchesne (3)

7. 123 Bennington (2)

8. 131 Omaha Skutt (3)

9. 131 Hastings (6)

10. 141 York (5)

11. 179 Blair (3)

12. 214 Schuyler (3)

Top returners (notable 2025 track results)

2 Leah Robinson, 11, Elkhorn North 58, 2:13 (2^nd B), 5:03 (2^nd B)

4 Annah Perdue, 11, York 5:14, 11:16

5 Sophia Reynolds, 11, Hastings 58, 2:13 (3^rd B), 5:03 (3^rd B)

6 Cecilia Kramper, 11, Omaha Duchesne 4:57 (1^st B), 10:35 (converted) (1^st B)

7 Mallory Robbins, 11, Plattsmouth 2:17, 5:16, 11:32

11 Paityn Christoffels, 12, Elkhorn North 2:21, 5:24 (one attempt), 11:58 (one attempt)

12 Malia Woosley, 11, Lincoln Pius X (no T&F results)

14 Kennedy Powell, 12, Norris 5:38, 11:40

17 Brooklyn Kermmoade, 11, Platteview 5:30, 12:25

18 Addison Washburn, 10, Elkhorn 2:25, 5:26

19 Jordyn Samuels, 10, Seward 1:01, 2:31

20 Lydia Dominy, 11, Norris 1:01, 2:18 (4th B)

21 Emma Oliver, 10, Lincoln Pius X 5:35, 11:45

22 Lucy Zabloudil, 11, Gretna 1:01, 2:20 (6th B)

23 Emma Cappel, 12, McCook 5:22

24 Kathryn Roberts, 11, Elkhorn 2:19, 5:14 (8^th B), 11:23 (5^th B)

25 Sierra Regan, 10, Gretna 2:26, 5:20, 11:43

26 Jasmin Solano, 12, Lincoln Pius 2:22, 5:40

28 Amalia Doty, 12, Omaha Gross Catholic 2:24, 5:32

30 Hannah Zimmerle, 11, Lincoln Standing Bear 2:29, 5:43

32 Annie Carda, 10, Omaha Duchesne 2 :27, 5 :34, 11 :55

33 Claire Miller, 11, Bennington 2:32 (not competing this fall)

34 Naomi Renner, 12, York 5:31, 11:42

35 Grace Uttecht, 11, Lincoln Pius (limited T&F results)

36 Lucille Lampe, 11, Bennington 6:31

37 Kelsey Van Waart, 12, Gretna 5:17, 11:57

38 Paityn Wolfe, 10, Omaha Skutt 2:31, 5:47, 12:20

39 Madeleine Scott, 11, Bennington 5:47, 12:15

40 Xiomara Lagunas, 11, Hastings 1:04

41 Abigail Dickinson, 12, Lincoln Pius (no T&F results)

42 Lily Philips, 10, Seward 2:24, 5:39, 12:19

43 Josephine Gowen, 12, Hastings 2:28, 5:43, 12:21

46 Mila Waite, 12, Lincoln Pius 2:41 (limited results)

48 Natalie Ramirez, 11, Lexington 5 :55, 13 :05

Class B has one girls classification change this fall. Aurora is moving from Class C to B while Mt. Michael falls from Class B to C.

As a reminder, Class B teams are allowed to run up to six athletes at Districts and State, and the placement of the top four athletes is used to calculate a team’s point title.

Elkhorn North, Norris and Bennington have been the dominant forces in Class B girls XC the past four years. Norris won three titles from 2021-2023 powered by Kendall Zavala (now at UNL), Ellie Thomas (South Dakota) and Atlee Wallman (Creighton). Elkhorn North finished 7^th in 2020 in the first year of the school, and then improved to 4^th, 3^rd, 2^nd and 1^st over the next four years. Bennington finished 2^nd in 2021 and 2022 before falling to 4^th and 7^th in 2023 and 2024.

Is it time for a new team champion since Elkhorn North only returns two competitors from last year’s State squad? Don’t count them out quite yet. With Gatorade winner Zavala off to college, 2024 runner-up Leah Robinson of Elkhorn North is the top returner. Here’s a fun fact about Leah: she’s got at least one State medal in the 400, 800, 1600 and 5000 meters, plus three gold medals in the relays. After focusing on the 400 and 800 as a freshman, she moved up to the 800 and 1600 last spring, finishing 2^nd in both events at State with PRs of 2:13 and 5:03. We’ve been told that Leah’s fitness has gotten even better over the summer. Elkhorn North’s other returner is Paityn Christoffels, an 800-meter specialist (2:21 PR) who has finished 20^th, 18^th and 11^th in her three State XC meets and ran 5:24 and 11:58 in her only attempts this spring at the longer distances.

The team also gets back Jenna Polking, a senior who finished 14^th at the 2022 meet but has only run four XC races since then due to a difficult injury. Jenna posted times of 2:25, 5:20 and 11:33 during the spring, so she is definitely back in business. Senior Raisa Halweg and 4x800 splits under 2:26 multiple times this spring but was not on the State squad due to Elkhorn North’s ridiculous depth. Hailey Marshall, also a senior, looks to move up to varsity after finishing 5^th in the conference JV race last fall. Three freshmen will also be fighting for spots: Michelle Kris, Riley Keisling and Adelyn Snow. While the last three varsity spots are unclear right now, we do know that that their three returners should place in the top fifteen, and that will take some pressure off the fourth and final scorer.

The last eleven months have been a bit dramatic for Cece Kramper of Omaha Duchesne. Due to an early-September hip injury, during the last seven weeks of the 2024 season she ran a total of 42 miles, averaging six miles per week. The 42 miles consisted of four 5k races, 7 miles of ‘fast’ running and 23 miles of ‘slow’ running. She supplemented her running with high-intensity biking and 45 minutes of daily strength training prescribed by her physical therapist. After that approach led to a 6^th-place finish at the 2024 XC meet, she took some time off to heal and then resumed her low mileage/high-intensity biking approach. Despite running no more than 25 miles per week during track season, she won the Class B 1600 and 3200, and finished the track season with PRs of 4:57 and 10:35 (converted 2-mile time). She’s continued her training system this summer and appears to be on track to run a sub-18:00 5k in reasonable conditions. For that reason, she will enter the season at the top of the Class B rankings just ahead of Leah Robinson.

Duchesne returns three of its top four runners but may struggle to improve upon its 6^th-place finish in 2024. Annie Carda (32^nd) had a solid freshman track season, setting PRs of 2:27, 5:34 and 11:55, while Clare Lickteig (55^th) ran 2:47, 5:57 and 12:48 during the spring. The rest of the varsity team is unsettled, although Eleanor Richard and Harper Bellar are good candidates. Duchesne typically has over 60 girls on its cross country team, so we’re not ruling out the emergence of an off-the-radar performer.

Lincoln Pius returns all six girls from the 2024 State team, led by 12^th place finisher Malia Woosley, but they are a bit of a question mark due to the shortage of spring results. Woosley and Abigail Dickinson (41^st in 2024) have no track results while Grace Uttecht (35^th) and Mila Waite (46^th) have very limited results from track season. Two Pius athletes have complete track results: Emma Oliver (21^st, 5:35, 11:35) and Jasmin Solano (26^th, 2:22, 5:40). Emily Sroczynski was on the Pius JV team last fall but her track times may earn her a promotion: 2:38, 5:45 and 11:54.

Gretna seems to be getting its bearings back after losing half of its kids when the new Gretna East high school opened last fall. They finished 4^th in 2024 and return all six athletes, led by Lucy Zabloudil (22^nd), who finished 6^th in the Class B 800 with a 2:20 PR. She should be joined by sophomore Sierra Reagan (25^th, 2:26, 5:20, 11:43), Kelsey Van Waart (37^th, 5:17, 11:57), Elizabeth Wegner (56^th, no track results), Talya Arend (57^th, 2:33, 5:50) and sophomore Ainsleigh Brunswig (77^th, 2:46, 6:13).

Despite losing top runner Tessa Greisen, Seward looks to improve on last year’s 5^th-place finish. Jordyn Samuels (19^th, 1:01, 2:31), Lily Philips (42^nd, 2:24, 5:39, 12:19) and Haylen Holliday (65^th, 1:03, 2:30, 5:10, 12:19 in one attempt) are the top returners. Chloe Brozovsky (72^nd, 1:03, 2:36) and Audrey Broadwell (63^rd, 6:13) should also contribute.

Norris only returns two girls from its 2024 runner-up team, but they’re both good. Kennedy Powell (14^th, 5:38, 11:40) and Lydia Dominy (20^th, 1:01, 2:18 for 4^th in Class B) are excellent building blocks for a team that has a deep junior varsity team each year.

With Claire Miller (33^rd, 2:32) opting to focus on soccer, Bennington returns just two runners from its 7^th-place team: Lucille Lampe (36^th, 6:31) and Madeline Scott (39^th, 5:47, 12:15). Bennington typically has a strong junior varsity and junior high program so it will be interesting to see their squad at Districts.

Hastings returns all six State competitors led by Sophia Reynolds, who has pieced together an incredible resume in just two seasons that is strikingly similar to Leah Robinson's. She’s finished 8^th and 5^th at the State XC meet and has four individual medals at State T&F: one in the 400 as a freshman, two 800 medals, and one in the 1600. She finished third in the 800 and 1600 in May behind Robinson, and her PRs of 57.54, 2:12 and 5:03 are outstanding. A few years ago we said we were in the golden age of Nebraska high school girls distance running, but the Class B Class of 2027 is pretty amazing. Hastings also returns Xiomara Lagunas (40^th, 1:04), Josephine Gowen (43^rd, 2:28, 5:43, 12:21), Mylee Mick (76^th, 1:04, 2:34) and two athletes with no 2025 track results: Darcy Davis (88^th) and Jenna Ochsner (89^th).

Aurora, which finished 5^th in Class C last year with three juniors, one sophomore and two freshman, moves up to Class B this season. Alexis Erickson (9^th C, 5:54, 12:19) and Ella Eggleston (23^rd C, 2:37, 5:32, 12:17) both had solid track seasons with 3200 times that put them in the top 30 for this year’s field. Savanna Jones (63^rd, state qualifier in 300 hurdles), Braxtyn May (82^nd, no T&F results), Josie Daughery (90^th, 2:46, 6:23) and Kailey Deck (116^th, 5:59, 12:55) are the other 2024 State competitors.

Annah Perdue of York seeks her third State XC medal after finishing 9^th as a freshman and 4^th as a sophomore. She ran 5:14 and 11:16 during the spring, just off her freshman PRs, and has three State T&F medals in her short career. Other returners include Naomi Renner (34^th, 5:31, 11:42), Ryleigh Wright (61^st, no 2025 T&F results), Marta Renner (78^th, sprints) and Bridget Kavan (84^th, sprints).

There are a number of teams that are not expected to be in the top three this season but do have girls who should be in the mix this season:

· Plattsmouth missed a State berth last fall by just five points but that didn’t slow down Mallory Robbins. Mallory placed 7^th at State, adding to her 5^th-place finish as a freshman. She followed that up with times of 2:17, 5:16 and 11:32 on the track.

· Emma Steffensen was hurt most of last fall but somehow qualified 3^rd at Districts before finishing 78^th at the State meet. In one her healthy XC season as a freshman in 2022, she finished 3^rd at the State meet. She’s been healthier in track season, earning two medals in the 400 and three in the 800, including her first individual State title in May. She’s got a PR of 2:10.

· Elkhorn did not qualify last fall but have the foundation for a successful run this year. Addison Washburn (18^th, 2:25, 5:26) and Kathryn Roberts (24^th, 2:19, 5:14, 11:23) return, and Roberts is on a hot streak after finishing 8^th in the 1600 and 5^th in the 3200 at State.

· Brooklyn Kermoade of Platteview is a huge Nerd fan, so we’re big fans of hers. She finished 13^th in Class C as a freshman and then 17^th in Class B last year. She PR’d in all three distances this spring, running 2:30, 5:30 and 12:25, so look for her to fight for a medal in October.

· Emma Cappel of McCook finished 12^th and 9^th in Class C in 2022 and 2023 and 23^rd in Class B in 2024. She set PRs in the 800 (2:21 split) and 1600 (5:22) this spring and earned State medals in the 4x400 and 4x800.

· Amalia Doty of Omaha Gross cut over three minutes off her 5k time between 10^th and 11^th grade. She wasn’t on our watch list the first two weeks of last year but ended up being ranked in six of the last seven weeks before finishing 28^th on what was probably her worst day of the season. She rebounded with times of 2:24 and 5:32 during the spring, so don’t be surprised to see her make an appearance in this season’s rankings.

· I believe Hannah Zimmerle of Lincoln Standing Bear has a chance to make history as her school’s first State XC medalist. She placed 30^th last fall and ran 2:29 and 5:43 in the spring. Given the talent level in Class B, earning a medal is going to be a challenge, but we’ll be rooting for her.

· Lincoln Northwest, which qualified as a team in 2023, returns three individual qualifiers from 2024 and should be in the mix for a team berth. The team includes a few freshman who could boost their qualifying chances.

In terms of outstanding freshmen, Michaela O’Flynn has joined the Omaha Skutt XC team and brings along her PRs of 2:17 and 5:27 from this spring.

Team predictions

The Class B coaches will issue five or six polls during the season. As is our custom, we only issue one team ranking, and that is our pre-season prediction:

1. Elkhorn North

2. Gretna

3. Lincoln Pius

4. Seward

5. Omaha Duchesne

Individual rankings

We’ll post our preseason rankings on the Rankings tab at www.preprunningnerd.com, and we’ll update them almost every week during the season.

Errors and omissions

Our season previews are based on prior results and an assumption that underclassmen competing at State in 2024 will run again this year. If you’re aware of an error in the article above, or have information on an impactful runner not listed above, please email jayslagle@hotmail.com so we can determine whether the article should be updated. Our goal as volunteers is to be a resource for fans of Nebraska high school country, but we readily acknowledge that we need feedback from followers and coaches to provide accurate information.

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Originally written and published in August 2025 at www.preprunningnerd.com.

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