For only the second time, a Wisconsin girls team has qualified for the Nike cross country national meet

The two-time defending state cross country champions are headed to the national stage in Oregon. 

The Muskego girls team automatically qualified for the Nike Cross Nationals (NXN) with its performance Saturday at the regional meet in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. 

The Warriors, who won the Division 1 state title the weekend prior, took second out of 30 teams from seven states to qualify for the national race in Portland on Dec. 7. Only the top two boys and girls teams advanced from each of eight regionals.

Since the event was first held in 2004, only one Wisconsin girls team had qualified for the national race. The Neenah girls won their regional in 2011, the same year the Arrowhead boys team did. 

Homestead's Drew Bosley won the boys regional twice and took seventh place at NXN in 2017.

On Saturday, Muskego finished only behind Edina, Minnesota, with 121 points. The Warriors were 24 points ahead of third-place Wayzata, another school from Minnesota. 

Junior Kate Sperka ran one of her best races, finishing second overall but first among runners whose teams qualified, making her the top scorer in the team competition. 

Sperka took fourth place at the WIAA state meet but defeated state champion Kora Malecek of Onalaska in South Dakota.

Overall, 245 runners competed in the girls race. Brittany Helm finished 19th overall, followed by Rachel Helm in 23rd, McKayla Felton in 43rd and Noelle Junig in 89th. Ani Oxborough and Sara Jochims also ran for the Warriors, but only the top five runners' scores are counted.