On Sunday, November 13, the girls and boys cross country teams attended the Nike Cross Regionals (NXR) meet in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, at Yankton Trail Park. Teams from Minnesota competed in the Heartland region, comprised of Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

The boys team competed in section five of the boys open invitational with other teams such as Wayzata, Minnetonka and STMA in the mix. Out of the 35 teams who competed in section five, Hopkins placed 22. In all, the boys placed 26 out of 185 teams.

Placing 26 in a race with many strong teams from across the region is impressive in itself, but the individual placement of two HHS runners was what really made HHS stand out. Suhayb Ali, senior, finished first place in section five out of 321 runners, finishing the 5K in 15:20.5. Landon Hering, junior, did not finish far behind Ali. He placed second in the race, with a time of 15:41.6. Their outstanding results gave them second and fourth place finishes, respectively, out of 1,582 runners.

“I am ecstatic to place so well at this race in my senior year,” Ali said. “Having been on the team for six years now and never seeing the fruits of my hard work, I can’t be anything but excited.”

Because of their placement at regionals, Ali and Hering will be participating in another regional meet hosted by Foot Locker. This meet will take place on Thanksgiving weekend.

Ali has been on the varsity cross country team since his freshman year, and this opportunity in his senior year is one of the highlights of his running career at HHS.

“The journey is far from over and I am not satisfied just yet,” Ali said. “Stay tuned for some fast times as I solidify my grandeur on the track this spring.”

On the girls side of the event, Hopkins competed in the girls championship 5K. The girls placed 19 out of 26 teams in this event, and Sydney Drevlow, sophomore, placed fourth out of 232 runners in the race.

Drevlow finished the 5K in 17:16.8, and her top placement allowed her to qualify for the Nike Cross National (NXN) meet in Portland, Oregon. This event, which will be held on December 3, is comprised of the best runners from each of the 8 regional events.

After Drevlow, the top finishers for the Hopkins girls were Daphne Grobstein, sophomore, and Marguerite Giese, senior. They finished 102nd and 171st, respectively.