The Hastings Raiders cross country teams made their presence known at the 2025 Red Wing Invite, held Thursday, September 25, at Red Wing High School. Battling through breezy fall conditions against a seven-team field that included East Ridge, Park, RAACHE, Red Wing, Winona, and Woodbury, the Raiders came away with a pair of hard-fought runner-up finishes. With both the boys and girls squads showing depth and determination, Hastings held their own in one of their toughest tests of the season.
In a race that came down to just two points, the Hastings Raiders boys cross country team pushed hard but narrowly missed the top spot, finishing second behind Winona, 58–56, in their latest meet. The girls team mirrored the strong showing with a second-place finish of their own, placing solidly behind a dominant Winona squad.
Despite the close loss, the Raiders boys packed a powerful top-five, with senior Parker Stoltz leading the team and grabbing second overall in 16:52.40. Stoltz held off a field stacked with upperclassmen and rising underclassmen alike, chasing only Winona’s Kedrick Boucek, who took the win in 16:35.17.
Backing up Stoltz was a wave of blue and gold: Aiden Reuter (7th, 17:40.08), William Carry (8th, 17:44.40), and Tristan Herbst (16th, 18:34.70) all came through with gutsy races, staying tight with each other and chipping away at the points. Rounding out Hastings’ scoring five was sophomore Benjamin Schwanke, who clocked a 19:05.03 to grab 25th and keep the Raiders in the fight for the team title.
Freshman James Jensen also crossed in 33rd, finishing in 19:50.87, gaining valuable varsity experience for later in the season.
Though the boys missed the win by just two points, the depth and front-end speed they showed gave every reason for confidence heading into October. Park High trailed close behind in third with 68, while RAACHE and Red Wing followed with 86 and 96, respectively.
On the girls side, senior Linnea Ronning led the way once again with a commanding second-place finish, crossing in 20:23.02. Ronning kept her eyes forward throughout the race, trailing only Red Wing’s Nora Hanson, who clocked 19:32.65 in first.
Behind Ronning, Sara Siebenaler (10th, 21:47.76) and Lucy Burmeister (13th, 22:43.05) continued their consistent seasons, giving the Raiders a firm hold in the top 15. Freshman Clara Hochmuth ran well beyond her years, finishing 17th in 23:13.33. Emily Beaudet (24th, 24:00.85) and Katherine Nowak (29th, 24:31.91) filled in the fifth and sixth spots, both landing inside the top 30 and keeping the Raiders in second with 66 points.
Senior Olivia Schuster rounded out the team’s varsity seven, coming through in 25:33.34 for 39th place.
While Winona took the girls title with 38 points, the Raiders showed they’re a squad capable of tightening the gap in the meets ahead. RAACHE (76) and East Ridge (101) followed behind Hastings in third and fourth, respectively.
The meet also marked a strong showing for Hastings' upperclassmen, especially on the boys side, where four of the top five scorers were seniors. With conference and sectional meets on the horizon, the experience and depth from both squads could prove critical.
As the weather cools down and the competition heats up, Hastings looks poised for a strong postseason push.