Decorah girls cross country team wins third straight state title

(Front row, left to right): Assistant Coach Heide Skildum, Stef Bjerke, Gara Lonning, Amanda Taylor, Linnea Kephart, Maria McDonough and Anna Swanson. (Back row, left to right): Assistant Coach Sarah Nowack, Assistant Coach Molly Holksvik, Josephine Berlage, Katie Nimrod, Jenna Galligan, Katie Perez, Alexis Steinlage, Coach Cristy Nimrod and Assistant Coach Shauna Menke (photo by decorahsports.com's Clara Knudson)(Click on photo for larger image)

For the third year in a row, the Decorah Viking girls cross country team is the Class 3A State Champion.

The Vikings earned 66 points at Fort Dodge on Saturday, edging Gilbert, which was second with 69 points.

Senior Amanda Taylor again led the Vikings, finishing 5th with a time of 15:18.6.  Senior Stef Bjerke was not far behind, finishing 8th with a time of 15:25.5.  Sophomore Josephine Berlage was 12th with a time of 15:36.5.  She was followed by Katie Perez in 20th place with a time of 15:49.9, Linnea Kephart in 21st place with a time of 15:50.4, Katie Nimrod in 29th place with a time of 16:02.3 and Maria McDonough in 42nd place with a time of 16:24.1.

The Decorah Viking boys cross country team also did well at Fort Dodge, finishing 8th overall.

For additional details, check www.decorahsports.com.