Miller experiences first state cross country meet

Northland Pines junior Ethan Miller ran in his first state cross country meet last Saturday in Wisconsin Rapids, as he joined other local athletes who also made the trip from Three Lakes.

Miller advanced to the state meet after he finished in ninth place at the sectional meet in Merrill just about two weeks ago. He grabbed the fifth and last individual qualifying spot, as his performances throughout the season built up to this moment.

As the best runners in the state toed the line for the final time, Miller competed against 149 other athletes in the D2 race, and the junior finished in 97th out of 150. He had a finishing time of 18:06 on a difficult course at the Ridges Golf Course.

What an amazing season for Ethan. The Division 2 finals had a strong field of runners. Ethan had a great race,” said Pines Head Coach Patrick Gauthier.
Gauthier also thanked all the supporters who made the trip down to Wisconsin Rapids to support Miller and the Eagles.

The Pines junior opened the race with a first-mile 5:25 time, which ranked 89th in the field. He crossed the second mile mark at a 5:59 split and his last 1.1 was wrapped up in 6:44 to finish his race.

Miller was a crucial leader for Northland Pines this season for some of the younger runners on the boys team. As the season progressed, all the runners who finished the season improved by year’s end. Miller will now look to next fall for another chance at making his way to the state championships.