Winona Cotter Wins Class A Cross Country Team Title
Winona edged Sibley East by one point as Erik Semling claimed his third straight Class A individual state title.
Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Running
Winona Cotter won the Class A state cross country team championship on Saturday, finishing with 126 points to Sibley East's 127. Erik Semling won his third straight individual Class A state cross country title, running the course in 15 minutes, 16.6 seconds.
Why it matters
The one-point margin made Winona's first team title in the Class A meet a narrow result, after the program had been runners-up to Lewiston-Altura/Rushford-Peterson the prior year. Semling's repeat individual win extends a run of individual dominance at the state level.
Team scores were determined by summing the finishing places of each team's top five runners, with Winona Cotter's 126 points edging Sibley East's 127. Semling's 15 minutes, 16.6 seconds marks his fourth state championship, including one team title, and the results were posted as runners finished and scoring loaded.
The players
Erik Semling
Semling is a distance runner who has won three straight Class A individual state cross country titles and a total of four state championships including one team title.
Winona Cotter
Winona Cotter is the high school cross country program from Winona that won the Class A state team title after qualifying for the state meet as a team for five consecutive years.
The details
Semling ran the course in 15 minutes, 16.6 seconds to take the individual crown, while Ryan Littlefield finished second. Winona's top scorers included Jonah Alexander in 10th, Cooper Knuesel in 50th and Jonah Hatanpa in 63rd.
Timeline
Saturday, November 7, 2026: Winona Cotter wins the Class A state cross country team championship.
Nov. 15, 2026: Semling races at the NXT Heartland Regional Championships in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Season Trajectory
Winona's one-point win over Sibley East follows a 2025 runner-up finish to Lewiston-Altura/Rushford-Peterson, capping five straight years of team state qualification. Semling's third straight individual title keeps his name at the top of Class A distance running.
Semling's qualifying race on Nov. 15 determines whether he advances to the Nike Cross Nationals in Portland, Oregon. For fans following Class A distance running, the regional result will decide whether the state champion goes on to national competition.
The takeaway
Winona's one-point margin is a reminder that Class A team titles are often decided by a handful of places across five scorers. Track the regional result to see whether Semling's season extends to Portland.
What happens next
Erik Semling will race at the NXT Heartland Regional Championships on Nov. 15 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, for a chance to qualify for the Nike Cross Nationals in Portland, Oregon.
Further reading
For more high school distance coverage, see the Running section.
