Neenah, Arrowhead runners secure national rankings
High school cross country teams from Neenah and Hartland secured their rankings among the top 25 in the country with their second-place finishes in the Nike Cross Nationals Heartland Regional.
The boys team from Arrowhead High School held the #14 spot on the rankings compiled by Running Times Magazine. Competing as the Hartland Hustle in the Nike meet, the boys finished second, just eight points behind the squad from Stillwater, Minn. The repeat WIAA state champions will run in the Nike Nationals in Oregon on Dec. 3.
Russ Sandvold, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel prep runner of the year, finished third overall in the regional. He covered the 5k in 15:31.
The Neenah girls squad, second in the WIAA state meet last month, surprised some with a second-place finish on Sunday in Sioux Falls, S.D. Led by Alison Parker, the Neenah Cross Country Club trailed Monticello by just two points in the regional.
In the latest national rankings, the Neenah squad ranked 21st.