The Hastings cross country teams wasted no time making a statement in their season opener, running to a pair of runner-up finishes at the Grey Cloud Invitational in Cottage Grove. Facing conference rival Park and perennial contender East Ridge, the Raiders leaned on veteran leadership and emerging talent to showcase the depth head coach Joe Rabaey highlighted heading into the meet.
The boys finished second with 42 points, just five behind East Ridge’s 37, while edging host Park by a narrow margin. Senior Parker Stoltz led the way, clocking 16 minutes, 53 seconds for fifth place overall. Behind him, the Raiders packed tightly as David Tireman (6th, 17:26), Tristan Herbst (9th, 17:55), and Aiden Reuter (10th, 18:04) all placed inside the top ten. Gabriel Peterson (12th, 18:23) rounded out the scoring five, giving Hastings one of the most balanced groups in the field. Rabaey wasn’t surprised by the performance. With a large senior class returning, the boys have built a culture of consistency, logging what he called “thousands of miles” over the summer.
“Our top six should be coming in together, working as a squad, and that’s exactly what they did over the summer,” Rabaey said before the meet. “They’ve been running side by side since middle school, and they’re ready for one last big push.”
The girls mirrored that formula with a second-place team finish at 41 points, trailing only East Ridge’s 31. Senior standout Linnea Ronning set the tone, winning the individual title in 19:42, pulling away comfortably to claim her fourth consecutive season-opening victory. Ronning, a three-time state qualifier, looks poised to extend that streak again.
Supporting her was sophomore Lucy Burmeister, who capped a strong summer with a seventh-place finish in 22:19. Right behind came freshmen standouts Clara Hochmuth (9th, 22:30) and Emily Beaudet (10th, 23:07), both running varsity as eighth graders last fall and now settling in as key contributors. Senior Olivia Schuster (14th, 24:07) and junior Katherine Nowak (16th, 24:18) provided the depth Hastings needed to hold off Park for the runner-up spot.
For Rabaey, the girls’ success reflected the team’s growing culture of accountability.
“When younger runners see the seniors putting in the work, they don’t want to be the ones showing up out of shape,” he said. “Even our sophomores came in already seasoned from last year, and it shows.” The results backed that up. Hastings not only placed four runners inside the top ten, but they also had seven finish in the top 30, showing strength that will matter as the season grinds into conference and section meets.
The Grey Cloud meet also revealed the Raiders’ ability to adapt to early-season racing. While many teams are still shaking off summer training, Hastings’ runners treated the race as both a test and a learning opportunity. “It’s still about practicing how to run the right way, but the kids are excited to get out there and let it fly,” Rabaey said before the starting gun.
That excitement was easy to see in the results. The boys’ top five finished within 90 seconds of one another, a tight spread that could prove crucial in bigger fields later in the season. On the girls’ side, the combination of veteran leadership from Ronning and the promise of Burmeister, Hochmuth, and Beaudet gave Hastings a lineup with both firepower and future depth.
The Raiders left Cottage Grove with no trophies but plenty of momentum. Both squads showed they can run with East Ridge, one of the state’s stronger programs, while building separation from Park and Cretin-Derham Hall. For a team that returned nearly everyone from last year, it was the kind of start Rabaey expected, and the kind of performance that hints at more to come.
As the season stretches ahead, the Raiders know bigger challenges await, but for now, opening weekend showed a team that is fit, focused, and fueled by senior leadership.
Final team scores had East Ridge topping both races, with Hastings second and Park third. Individually, Ronning stood tallest with her victory, while Stoltz and Tireman paced the boys with top-six finishes. For Hastings, it was a day of steady footing, setting the tone for a season that promises to be one last big push for a senior-heavy squad.