Class C girls season preview
- jayslagle
- Aug 24
- 9 min read
Contributor: The Nerd
2024 State results (max possible returners)
1. 64 Auburn (3 of top 4)
2. 68 Scotus Central Catholic (top 5)
3. 70 Gothenburg (6)
4. 76 Minden (3)
5. 110 Aurora (6)
6. 129 Syracuse (top 4)
7. 130 Palmyra (4)
8. 138 Wahoo (top 3)
9. 147 Kearney Catholic (3)
10. 152 Adams Central (6)
11. 155 Boone Central (6)
12. 169 Columbus Lakeview (5)
13. 173 Pierce (bottom 3)
14. 185 Omaha Concordia (6)
15. 200 Sidney (6)
Top returners (notable 2025 track results)
2 Avery Heinrich, 10, Scotus Central Catholic 2:28, 5:23, 11:33
3 Brenna Benjamin, 12, Holdrege 2:31, 5:29, 12:28
4 Scout Bell, 10, Gothenburg 5:27, 11:34
5 Liston Crotty, 12, Auburn 1:02, 2:28
6 Olivia Crotty, 10, Auburn 6:12, 13:23 (limited races)
7 Autumn Gasper, 10, Boone Central 5:39, 11:58 (6th C)
8 Emma Williams, 11, North Bend Central 2:28, 5:20 (4th C), 11:42 (2nd C)
9 Alexis Ericksen, 12, Aurora 5:54, 12:19 (to Class B)
10 Emilyn Kavan, 11, Scotus Central Catholic 2:38, 5:54
11 Alexa Warner, 11, Minden 2:35, 5:39, 12:27
12 Ashlyn Schauda, 11, Broken Bow 2:35, 5:47
14 Ellie Warford, 11, Wahoo 5:44, 12:37
15 Kimberly Pena, 11, West Point-Beemer 5:50
16 Jaelyn Witter, 11, Kearney Catholic 2:27, 5:27 (8th C), 11:41 (1st C)
17 Tessa Smith, 12, Chase County 5:50, 13:05
19 Ava Tisthammer, 10, Boone Central 2:44, 5:57
20 Aclynn Osterbuhr, 10, Minden 2:35
22 Hannah Heinrich, 12, Scotus Central Catholic 2:52
23 Ella Eggleston, 12, Aurora 2:37, 5:32, 12:19 (to Class B)
24 Hailey Hengtgen, 12, Palmyra 2:35, 5:46, 12:17
25 Madison Vanlaningham, 12, Johnson County Central 2:41, 6:09, 13:21
26 Elle Badstieber, 12, Columbus Lakeview 2:23
27 June Lehn, 10, Adams Central 2:29, 5:38
28 Zoey Smith, 12, Ashland-Greenwood 2:33, 5:41, 11:38 (33-second PR)
29 Alexa Rogers, 10, Adams Central 5:38, 12:12
30 Corinne May, 10, Arlington 2:32, 5:43, 12:37
31 Capri Hansen, 10, Syracuse 1:02, 2:34
33 Kiarra Jonas, 11, Gothenburg 2:48, 6:02, 12:50
34 Alayna Smith, 10, Chase County 5:51, 12:43
35 Evelynn Sharkey, 10, Minden 6:43, 14:20
36 Abby Crabtree, 10, Milford (sprinter, jumper)
37 Brooklyn Reiman, 10, Gothenburg 6:00, 13:42
38 Adeline Pinkston, 11, Gothenburg 5:53, 12:47
40 Emerson Meiergerd, 10, West Point-Beemer 2:31, 6:09, 13:36
41 Bryn Boitnott, 10, Syracuse 5:58
43 Kiara Trent, 11, Louisville 5 :58, 13:01 (limited racing)
45 Lauren Lammers, 10, Fort Calhoun 2 :50, 6 :13
46 Hadley Mazzulla, 10, Auburn (jumper)
50 Clara Heppner, 10, Lincoln Christian 2:39, 5:57, 12:39
Class C had several classifications change this fall. Aurora is moving from Class C to B while Mt. Michael falls from Class B to C. In addition, Omaha Brownell Talbot and Madison have moved from Class D to Class C while Ord and Hershey have dropped from Class C to Class D.
As a reminder, Class C 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.
Class C had a youth movement in 2024, and the only medalists not returning for 2025 are champion Hailey O’Daniel of Arlington and 13th-place Sawyer Benne of Lincoln Lutheran to graduation plus 9th-place Alexis Ericksen of Aurora to reclassification. In fact, 32 of the top 40 finishers from 2024 will return, and the field will also include Class D 8th-place Corbett Lanum of Omaha Brownell Talbot due to reclassification.
Auburn won the 2024 title after finishing 2nd in 2022 and 2023. Three of their top four girls return: senior Liston Crotty (5th at 2024 XC, 1:02, 2:28), sophomore Olivia Crotty (6th, 6:12, 13:23) and sophomore Hadley Mazulla (46th, jumps). Their junior high team finished 6th at the State XC meet, so they may be adding Hailey Janssen (67th out of 265, 6:33), Corey Neumeister (81st, 6:34), Macy DeBuhr (87th, 3:03) and Grace Snyder (98th, sprinter). Kristen Billings was a key part of their three podium finishes, so she will not be easy to replace.
Columbus Scotus had a bit of heat-related bad luck at the 2023 State meet before rebounding in 2024 for second place. They return three top-30 athletes: Avery Heinrich (2nd in 2024, 2:28, 5:23, 11:33), Emilyn Kavan (10th, 2:38, 5:54) and Hannah Heinrich (22nd, no T&F results). They also return their next two finishers from 2024, Mia Fehringer (76th, 1:10, 2:40) and Leslie Medina-Perez (78th, no T&F results). Fehringer reportedly has been crushing workouts and should improve her times considerably from her first three seasons. Incoming freshman Garyn Ramaekers (1:03, 2:34) will need to adjust to longer distances but she ran well in 8th grade including finishing 21st out of 275 runners at the Platte River Rumble JH race.
Gothenburg returns all six competitors from 2024 State, led by 4th-place Scout Bell. Scout’s 3200 time (11:34) this spring is the second fastest in the field behind Avery Heinrich (11:33), and her 5:27 1600 PR is tied with Jaelyn Witter of Kearney Catholic for the third fastest mark behind Emma Williams (North Bend Central, 5:20) and Heinrich (5:23). Other 2024 State competitors include fellow sophomore Adalyn Carlson (DNF 2024, 1:03, 2:25), junior Kiarra Jonas (33rd, 2:48, 6:02, 12:50), sophomore Brooklyn Reiman (37th, 6:00, 13:42), junior Adeline Pinkston (38th, 5:53, 12:47) and Tessa Carter (99th, limited T&F results). With no seniors on the squad, the Swedes might still be a year away from a title but… don’t count them out.
Minden returns their top three performers from the 2024 State squad that finished 4th. Alexa Warner was the only medalist in 11th (2:35, 5:39, 12:27), but Aclynn Osterbuhr (20th, 2:35) and Evelynn Sharkey (35th, 6:43, 13:42) both had strong results. The Whippets are also adding Adelyn Whitten, a freshman who finished 5th at the JH State XC meet before running 2:39 and 5:43 in track. The Whippets also have three other sophomores on the squad, so their team of one junior, five sophomores and one freshman could be a problem for the next two years.
Syracuse had freshman class last year that caught my attention at their very first meet in Weeping Water, and they did not disappoint the rest of the season. Syracuse’s top four finishers at State, where they finished 6th, were all freshmen. I believe Syracuse only had five girls on their team last year, with one graduating, and I don’t see any 8th graders competing last year. Syracuse will need all four sophomore to run well to improve their team placement this year. The QuadRockets are as follows: Capri Hansen (31st, 1:02, 2:34), Bryn Boitnott (41st, 5:58), Hailey Pfeiffer (68th, 2:45, 6:07) and Emma Owens (72nd, 6:30, 13:36).
Autumn Gasper of Boone Central had an exceptional freshman XC season, capturing her District title before finishing 7th at State. She followed that up with a 6th place finish in Class C 3200 in 11:58, and also had a 5:39 1600 PR at the State meet. Ava Tisthammer, also a freshman, finished 19th at State XC before running 2:44 and 5:57 in the spring. Three other 2024 State XC competitors – Brynn Petersen, Leah Ericksen and Johnna Spence – qualified for State T&F in the 4x800, so perhaps that experience added some extra motivation to summer training.
Quite a few of the other 2024 squads had no seniors, including Adams Central, Omaha Concordia and Sidney. However, each team’s third and fourth scorers will have to improve dramatically to take a crack at the top five.
There are a number of teams that are not expected to be in the title hunt but do have girls who should be in the medal mix this season:
· Brenna Benjamin was the sole qualifier for Holdrege but she put in the work, finishing 3rd, just 16 seconds behind O’Daniel. She had a strong spring with PRs of 2:31, 5:29 and 12:28.
· With Avery Heinrich competing in Class B at the State T&F meet, Emma Williams of North Bend Central and Jaelyn Witter of Kearney Catholic had the best medal haul at State T&F among those in the field. After finishing 8th last fall, Williams finished 4th (5:20) and 2nd (11:42) in the Class C 1600 and 3200. Witter won the Class C 3200 (11:41) and finished 8th in the 1600 (5:27) after just missing a medal with a 16th place finish at the State XC meet.
· Ashlyn Schauda (Broken Bow, 2:35, 5:47), Ellie Warford (Wahoo, 5:44, 12:37) and Kimberly Pena (West Point Beemer, 5:50) all had similar track results after finishing in 12th, 14th and 15th, respectively, at last year’s State meet. The competition will only be better this year, so they will have to work hard to repeat as medalists.
· Several girls had track results that are faster than the girls that placed above them at last year’s State meet. Hailey Hengtgen of Palmyra (24th, 2:35, 5:46, 12:17), Elle Badstieber of Columbus Lakeview (26th, 2:23), June Lehn of Adams Central (27th, 2:29, 5:38), Zoey Smith of Ashland-Greenwood (28th, 2:33, 5:41, and a 33-second PR of 11:38), and Alexa Rogers of Adams Central (29th, 5:38, 12:12) caught our eye. Adams Central is an outside threat for a top-5 finish due to June and Alexa.
· Corbett Lanum of Brownell Talbot slides into Class C this fall after finishing 8th in Class D in 2024. She had PRs of 2:37, 5:32 and 11:54 during the spring, earning 5th place in Class C in the 3200. If I recall correctly, she was the only Brownell Talbot girl competing last fall.
· In terms of incoming freshmen, in addition to Whitted at Minden, we’re excited to see whether the Class of 2029 can match up with the impact the Class of 2028 made last year. Macie Carter of Milford, younger sister of standout Avery Carter, ran 2:40 and 5:49 this spring and has had a solid summer of training. While we’re not certain they’ll all be on the course, we’ll be watching for Addison Hauxwell of Chase County (12th at JH State XC, 2:41, 5:46), Greichaly Hohlen of Lincoln Christian (20th at JH State XC, 2:31, 5:39), Kierra Kennedy of O’Neill (1st in JH State XC open race), Tayla Hurner of Wayne (2nd in JH State XC open race, 2:27, 5:30), Leighton Edwards of JCC (2:26, 5:30) and Madelyn Barnard of Bishop Neumann (2:39, 5:45).
Team predictions
The Class C 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. Columbus Scotus
2. Minden
3. Gothenburg
4. Auburn
5. Syracuse
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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