KEARNEY - Southeast Nebraska was well represented at the 2025 Nebraska Cross Country State Championships in Kearney last Friday, with 66 athletes from a total of 15 teams competing – and four of those teams finished in the top five of their respective fields, headlined by another Class D team title for the McCool Junction girls.  

Click the hyperlinks to see the full results from every class of competition.  

CLASS D GIRLS: 

McCool Junction has been one of the best cross country programs in this part of the state for much of the last decade, and the Mustangs defended their team title from last year with a narrow win this time around. Anchored by defending individual champion Kayleigh Betka, who placed fifth this year, McCool Junction scored 30 team points, one better than Crofton, to claim the team title. Leah Dawson placed 10th and Kaylianna Kitto 22nd to help give the Mustangs the edge. 

Sage Holtmeier of Tri County placed second to Betka as a true freshman last fall and finished fourth in 2025 to lead her Trojans to a third place finish as a team. Senior Isabelle Peters, also a medalist from last year, and freshman Emma Loxterkamp also placed in the top 40 to help Tri County edge past Nebraska Christian for third place. 

Crofton freshman Avery Arens dominated the field to win the individual title, finishing almost exactly two minutes ahead of anyone else.  

CLASS D BOYS: 

Tri County and McCool Junction were figureheads in this field as well. Anchored by fifth-place run from junior Sammy Holsing, a medalist last year as well, the Trojan boys finished second in the field with 35 team points, behind Doniphan-Trumbull's 24. Drew and Dawson Siems both finished in the top 30 with personal best times to help the Trojans keep pace, but Doniphan-Trumbull had two top ten finishers, including junior Kaser Johnson, who claimed the individual title by 18 seconds.  

McCool Junction finished eighth in the team field on the boys side, headed by freshman Carter Mierau in 11th – he missed out on a spot in the top ten by about half a second. Freeman junior Hayden Jansen placed 14th to help the Falcons finish 11th as a team.  

CLASS C GIRLS: 

Milford was the top Southeast Nebraska squad in this classification, thanks to a phenomenal showing from freshman Macie Carter, who finished in fifth place to guide the Eagles to a sixth-place finish as a team. Milford was a young team this year, with their six-runner roster at the state meet composed of four four freshmen, a sophomore and a junior. Sophomore Abby Crabtree was Milford’s second-best finisher, in 35th. 

Gothenburg sophomore Scout Bell dominated the field with a time of 14 seconds better than second place to win the individual title. Chase County claimed the team title with 67 points, ahead of Adams Central’s 77.  

Class C Boys: 

Just like the Milford girls did, the Milford boys saw one of their athletes earn a fifth-place finish: senior Avery Carter concluded his excellent career with another strong showing at the state meet, earning five points for his team. Johnson County Central senior Trevin Huskey set a personal best time to finish in seventh, though those Eagles didn’t have enough athletes competing to contend for the team title.  

Despite Carter’s high placing, Wilber-Clatonia was the top Southeast Nebraska team in the field. Paced by a 27th-place finish from senior Evan Odvody, the Wolverines scored 178 team points, good for 12th place and just in front of Milford in 13th place with 193 team points.  

Lincoln Christian dominated the event with five athletes placing inside the top 25 including Trevin Opp, who was the only athlete with a time south of 16 minutes on the way to the individual title.  

Class B Girls: 

Well known for its success on the track, Norris was the top Southeast Nebraska team on this surface this year. Junior Lydia Dominy was the top placer at 26th, and four other Titans finished inside the top 50 to help Norris claim sixth place as a team. Crete also competed in the team field with five athletes competing and the Cardinals came in 12th, led by a personal record from sophomore Addy Brewer, which was good for 42nd in the field.  

Duchesne junior Cece Kramper simply coasted to the individual title. She was the only runner to finish in south of 18 minutes and was 35 seconds faster than the second-place finisher. Elkhorn North easily won the team title with two runners inside the top ten and another two inside the top 20 to score 34 points, ahead of Gretna’s 48.  

Class B Boys: 

Norris was once again the top local team in this field, placing fifth as a team by scoring 106 team points, becoming the fourth different Southeast Nebraska school to finish inside the top five of the team competition. Junior Sam Robinson recorded his best time of the season to finish in 11th, about 6.5 seconds outside of the top ten. Three other Titans ended up inside the top 50. The two athletes from Beatrice – sophomores James Given and Charles Scott – both set personal records to finish 26th and 29th, respectively.  

Lincoln Pius X stole the show in this competition, with seniors David Krier and Joe Majerus finishing first and second, and three of their Thunderbolt teammates placing inside the top 20 to lead them to the team title with 20 team points – second-place Seward scored 90.