Five area runners qualified for the Class A state cross country meet at the Section 1A meet in Rochester Thursday.

Pacelli is sending three runners to state for the first time in school history as sophomore Kayla Christopherson, who was injured for much of this season, earned her fourth straight trip to state as she won the Section 1A meet with a time of 19:42.9. Pacelli freshman Rory Bickler took ninth with a time of 20:12.8 to get to state in the girls meet and senior Nathan Drees earned his first trip to state by taking 13th with a time of 17:27.9.

Christopherson has run in just three meets this year and Bickler took 20 seconds off of her best time.

“Kayla really proved that she is a tremendous competitor with a lot of heart,” Pacelli head coach Jim Parlin said. “Rory ran a gutty race.”

Drees was able to achieve a career goal by getting to state.

“We knew going into this meet that Nathan had a chance to qualify but it was going to take his best race,” Parlin said. “This is a goal that Nathan set for himself this year and it is the culmination of a career in which he has worked very hard.”

Peter Torkelson of GMLOS took sixth to earn his second straight trip to state.

BP’s Alec Ille earned his second straight trip to the Class A state meet when he finished in 10th place with a time of 17:18. BP’s Elijah Baker missed the state meet by two places as the Blossoms took fifth as a team. Baker was one spot away from state as a sophomore and he missed it by three spots as a junior.

“Elijah has had a fantastic career for BP, but has always just barely missed the qualifying mark,” BP head coach John Bruns said.

BP seventh grader Bobbie Bruns took 24th in the girls race.

BOYS RESULTS

Team results: La Crescent 45; 2. Lake City 81; 3. PEM 127; 4. RAACHE 131; 5. BP 145; 6. St. Charles 208; 7. Pine Island 235; 8. Byron 246; 9. Rochester Lourdes 271; 10. Stewartville 281; 11. LARP 302; 12. GMLOS 317; 13. Cotter 376; 14. Chatfield 377; 15. CF 383; 16. WK 419; 17. Pacelli, 428; 18. DE 433; 19. LFC 479; 20. Hayfield 534; 21. Kingsland 615; 22. Goodhue 631; 23. Schaeffer INC

Pacelli: Nathan Drees (13th, 17:27.9); Jayden Lewis (79th, 19:28.4); Cole Ethen (97th, 20:15.7); Luke Weaver (120th, 21:14.5); William Kahle (125th, 21:26.1)

BP: Alec Ille (10th, 17:18); Elijah Baker (16th, 17:43); Evan Doerhoefer (26th, 18:15); Cameron Kubista (31st, 18:24); Quentin Kubista (62nd, 19:10)

GMLOS: Peter Torkelson (sixth, 17:04.1); Mason Heimer (41st, 18:38.3); Kolton Arndorfer (76th, 19:22.8); Jackson Hale (89th, 20:03.2); Matt Scaglione (106th, 20:38)

Hayfield: Jackson Struck (90th, 20:04); Samuel Tempel (96th, 20:15.3); Isaiah Tempel (129th, 21:42.4); Logan Finley (151st, 23:40.8)

GIRLS RESULTS

Team results: 1. LC 84; 2. LFC 90; 3. Stewartville 90; 4. DE 98; 5. RAACHE 135; 6. Lourdes 164; 13. WK 397; 14. Chatfield 401; 15. LARP 431; 16. BP 444; 17. SC 464; 18. Cotter 466; 19. GMLOS 488; 20. Goodhue 510; 21. Hayfield 615; 22. Pacelli INC; 23. Schaeffer INC

Pacelli: Kayla Christopherson (first, 19:42.9); Rory Bickler (ninth, 20:12.8)

BP: Bobbie Bruns (24th, 21:06); Jerrin Jax (81st, 23:12); Olivia Johnson (94th, 23:48); Rose Michaud (125th, 25:21); Asha Lightthizer (134th, 26:40)

GMLOS: Megan Heimer (48th, 21:56.8); Sydney Alstat (109th, 24:23.7); Sydnie Bissen (113th, 24:31.4); Maddie Merten (114th, 24:31.4)

Hayfield: Caitlyn Severson (88th, 23:34); Alexandra Louks (124th, 25:17); Kelsey Roe (135th, 26:54.3); Jocelyn Cortez (142nd, 29:30.4)