NORTHFIELD – A pair of Austin runners came through with middle of the pack performances at the Minnesota Class AA State Cross Country Meet in St. Olaf College Saturday.
Austin junior Henry Hinchcliffe and junior Abby Lewis both finished among a herd of runners in the highly competitive meet. Hinchcliffe, who was running in his first ever state meet, took 64th place with a time of 16:31.

He enjoyed his experience in the state meet and he even received some help from other Big Nine runners as he was able to run alongside Rochester Mayo’s Spencer Moore, who finished 49th and Red Wing’s Tom Nemanich, who took 65th and was four-tenths of a second behind Hinchcliffe.
“Tom Nemanich from Red Wing and Spencer Moore were pacing me and those two were huge for me in this race,” Hinchcliffe said. “It was crowded but fun. I had a lot of fun. It was super nerve racking. You have so many people in front of you and behind you.”
Lewis finished in 82nd place with a time of 19:43.9. She was hoping to finish at around 19 minutes and she was pleased with how she was able to run in the cold and wet conditons

“I was really happy with the time,” Lewis said. “It’s tough running in these conditions, but it was fun. You have to get out going faster and you can get pushed to the side, but everyone’s dealing with the same condtions.”
Lewis, a junior, has grown accustomed to running in state meets as this was her fourth apperance and she’s enjoyed running in the race on an annual basis.
“I think everyone’s kind of gotten faster here, but the experience is still kind of the same,” Lewis said. “I thank everyone who came out and I’m thankful for the sommunity support I’ve received.”
Hinchcliffe was also thankful for all of his supporters this season.
“I want to thank all of my teammates,” he said. “This is the best crop of teammates I’ve had ever. My family, my friends and my girlfriend have all been really supportive of me and I want to thank all of them.”