Boyd County Cross Country are District Team Champs!!

The Boyd County Boys Cross Country Team are repeat district team champions in District D3 cross country after their performance at the district meet on Thursday, October 16, 2025.  Will Nelson claimed the individual championship title and three other individual Spartan runners punched their ticket to the state meet. The Spartans drove through wind and rain as they traveled to Ainsworth, but when they arrived the rain stopped, the wind calmed a little, and the Spartans were able to compete on one of the best weather days of the season, and they made good use of it!

The top 15 runners at the district meet and top three over all teams earn their spot to compete in the state championship meet.  This is no easy task, but the Spartans’ hard work throughout the season paid off.  

The Lady Spartans lined up to race first.  Junior Kaci Koenig, who was an individual qualifier last season, earned her second trip to the state meet.  Koenig placed 13th overall with a personal record (PR) time of 21:48.  It’s also important to note that the Spartans competed in Ainsworth for their very first meet at the beginning of September, and Koenig took over two and a half minutes off her time in September!   And if that wasn’t enough to celebrate, Koenig also finds herself 3rd on the Boyd County Top 10 Districts Times list.  

Senior Jada Harmon laced up her shoes for her final cross country meet.  Harmon raced in for 30th place with a time of 25:47 which was not quite a season’s best for her but very close.  Harmon’s hard work and miles throughout the season helped her take a minute twenty seconds off her September Ainsworth time.  Harmon has been a dedicated runner and wonderful friend to many over her career at Boyd County.  We will miss having her as part of our team!

Junior Addi Janousek continued to improve her PR even at the last meet.  Janousek wrote sub 26, for sub 26 minutes, on her hand to start the race, and she came very close to meeting that goal.  26:04 was on the clock as Janousek placed 32nd and took a whopping two and a half minutes faster than September and 47 seconds off of last week’s time at NVCs!  That’s an amazing way to end the season!

The Lady Spartans placed fifth overall as a team.  Ainsworth, North Central, and ElkHorn Valley qualified as the District D3 teams for the state meet.

Next up, the boys stepped up to the line knowing that a top three team placing was likely and wanting a repeat as champions.  They anticipated tough competition from Ord and Creighton, and it was a good thing they were focused as not many points separated these teams.  The Boyd County Spartan Boys Team took their second consecutive district championship title with 19 team points.  Ord came in second with 24 points while Creighton was third with 36 points.  

Will Nelson, senior, had one of the best races of his career.  Nelson stayed patient running with two other runners for most of the race waiting to make his move, and with less than a mile left he did.  Patience paid off and Nelson earned the district championship title with a season's best time of 17:22, just eight seconds off his PR from state last season.  His time compared to September’s time was over a minute faster.  The top spot of the Boyd County Top 10 Districts Times now belongs to Nelson.  Nelson is a four year state individual qualifier.  He placed 14th at state last season.

Senior Ethan Zeisler punched his individual ticket to state for the third time.  Zeisler took a minute and ten seconds off his September time, earned himself a PR, and landed second on the Boyd County Top 10 Districts Times list. Zeisler placed 8th with a time of 17:56.  

Issac Jensen, senior, qualified as an individual this year for the first time.  Jensen ran with his team the last two state meets so he is familiar with the course, but it will be a little extra special this year knowing he was also an individual qualifier.  A PR and the 9th place spot on the Boyd County Top 10 Districts Times were also awarded to Jensen whose time of 18:28 earned him the 12th place medal. Jensen ran a minute and a half faster than he did at the September meet in Ainsworth.

Senior Brook Strom will race at state with the team for the third year in a row.  Strom took over 30 seconds off his time in September.  He placed 24th with a time of 19:27.  New to the sport this season sophomore Aidyn Garwood earned himself a PR with a time of 19:55 in 33rd place. Garwood’s time was almost a minute and twenty seconds faster than September.  These boys will run as part of the team at the state meet.

The Spartans will load up and head out on Thursday, October 23 at 1:00pm.  Come line the streets in Spencer to help send them off!  The state cross country meet will be held on Friday, October 24, 2025 in Kearney.  The girls class D race starts at 12:00pm and the boys class D race starts at 1:00pm.