Submitted
Milbank “BANK” Cross Country Invitational
Saturday, September 13, 2025 – Whetstone Creek Golf Course
The Breckenridge-Wahpeton Storm girls cross country team tied for first place at the Milbank “BANK” Invitational on Saturday before narrowly losing the title on a tiebreaker to Grand Forks Red River. Both teams finished with 34 points, well ahead of third-place Flandreau with 39.
The girls’ race featured 71 runners from 15 teams. The Storm were led by three top-10 performances.
- 5th – Lucie Comstock, 20:11
- 6th – Kiera Wiertzema, 20:12
- 9th – Jasmyn Benedict, 20:42
Also scoring were Gracie Falck in 19th (21:35), Avelina Diaz in 42nd (23:24) and Addie King in 60th (24:49). Coach Larry Lasch praised the team’s effort, highlighting the way Comstock and Wiertzema worked together.
“Having those two on the team is like a two-for-one deal,” Lasch said.
He also credited Benedict for her career-best race, noting her bold move from 19th to 9th midway through the course, and recognized personal-best times from both Benedict and Diaz. Falck’s strong run to hold down a top-20 finish also helped keep the Storm in contention.
On the boys side, Breckenridge-Wahpeton placed 10th overall with 133 points. Red River won with 41, Grand Forks Central was second with 46 and Milbank took third with 59. The boys race featured 70 runners from 14 teams.
The Storm had four runners under the 20-minute mark, led by Troy Berndt in 18th at 18:24. He was followed by Jace Dauer in 28th (19:12), Theo Steinberger in 47th (19:53), Jack Ekren in 52nd (19:59), Ethan Shur in 59th (20:42) and Odin Carlson in 63rd (22:25).
Dauer stood out by passing eight runners in the final mile to break into the top 30, while Steinberger and Ekren closed strong as well.
“This was another good confidence booster for our boys as they begin to realize their potential,” Lasch said.
Breckenridge-Wahpeton Individual Results
Girls
5th – Lucie Comstock, 20:11.72
6th – Kiera Wiertzema, 20:12.77
9th – Jasmyn Benedict, 20:42.97
19th – Gracie Falck, 21:35.71
42nd – Avelina Diaz, 23:24.65
60th – Addie King, 24:49.55
Boys
18th – Troy Berndt, 18:24.48
28th – Jace Dauer, 19:12.69
47th – Theo Steinberger, 19:53.52
52nd – Jack Ekren, 19:59.06
59th – Ethan Shur, 20:42.14
63rd – Odin Carlson, 22:25.43
Team Scores – Boys
- Red River, 41
- Grand Forks Central, 46
- Milbank, 59
- PACT/Legacy, 83
- Madison, 106
- Lac qui Parle Valley/Dawson-Boyd, 106
- Great Plains Lutheran, 110
- Montevideo, 111
- Flandreau, 122
- Breckenridge/Wahpeton, 133
- Tri-State, 211
- Border West, 237
Team Scores – Girls
- Red River, 34
- Breckenridge/Wahpeton, 34
- Flandreau, 39
- Milbank, 69
- Grand Forks Central, 88
- Lac qui Parle Valley/Dawson-Boyd, 96
- PACT/Legacy, 114
- Madison, 130
- Great Plains Lutheran, 132
- Montevideo, 142
- Sisseton, 197
JV Boys 4k
46th – Jacob Voss – 18:47.16
59th – AJ Lindblad – 20:40.33
JV Girls 4k
18th – Hayden Matejcek – 20:45.33
35th – London Hoffert – 21:51.72
36th – Aubrey Boesen – 21:54.22
MS Boys 3.2k
7th – Jack Stuehrenberg – 12:20.74
27th – Henry Stav – 15:25.03
30th – AJ Cade – 15:48.56
32nd – Lowen Brooks – 15:56.79
MS Girls 3.2k
7th – Ashlynne Max – 13:57.85