It was a proud weekend for Kearney High School's Varsity Cross Country teams last weekend at the 2025 MSHSAA State Championships. 

The KHS girls placed 7th of 16 in a deep Class 4 field, our sixth straight trip to State and the program’s 30th appearance overall. Freshman Izzy Fowler led early and finished 32nd in 19:58, just two places shy of All-State. Senior Abbi McQuillen turned in her best State race, 44th in 20:34, with Daisy Burnam close behind at 20:44. Freshman Lenny Watts (54th, 20:54) and junior Drew Gustafson (55th, 20:54) crossed a thousandth of a second apart, and senior Jordin Vaughn delivered the clutch moment, 85th in 21:33 as our sixth runner, to edge a tie-breaker and secure seventh place. Seniors Abbi, Daisy, and Jordin finish a remarkable four-year run at State: 4th in 2022, 6th in 2023, 11th in 2024, and 7th in 2025.

On the boys’ side, the Bulldogs matched last year’s finish with 10th place, a result that speaks volumes given season-ending injuries to #1 Isaac Smith and #5 Atlas Owen. Sophomore Cameron Fowler took a big step forward, finishing 13th in 16:18 for All-State honors (he was 28th last year). Freshman Tristin Barton surged to 58th in 17:18, chopping nearly a minute in recent weeks, and junior Alex Gustafson was his steady self at 62nd in 17:24. Senior Cameron Daniel closed out his career at 87th (17:44), followed by freshman Hunter Phipps (140th, 18:51) as our fifth scorer, junior Luke Vanderstel (142nd, 18:55) after a strong three-meet stretch, and freshman Jackson Vasquez (151st, 19:19). It’s the boys’ second straight trip to State and the program’s 21st appearance overall.

Congratulations to Head Coach Jeff Roberts, Assistant Coaches Justin Leon, Jessica Fowler and Alan King, our athletes and their families on a season built on resilience, consistency and heart.