Welch All State, Finishes 13th At State CC Meet

Proctor AD Rory Johnson introduces state CC runner, sophomore Matt Welch at the send off to state as Assistant Coach Matt Knight and Head Coach Lowell Harnell look on. – Proctor Mallet Photo

Nov 19

Anders Voss – The Proctor Mallet

After winning the Section Cross Country Meet, Matt Welch went on to the State Cross Country Meet on November 6th at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. His performance at the meet was possibly the best he has ever done.

“He had an amazing race,” said Head Coach Lowell Harnell, “he led the State Meet and hung on pretty well.” Welch got to feel what it is like to be front runner at State.

Welch placed thirteenth overall this year, and only one sophomore placed higher than him. This was a huge improvement from last year when he placed 61st.

Harnell was hoping for a top 25 placing, but was happily shocked with the performance Welch gave out. The top ten finishers get medals, and one of Welch’s goals for next season is to get on that podium.

Welch earned All-State honors by finishing in the top 25. He is the first boy or girl runner from Proctor to receive All-State honors since 1993.

The pack at the State Meet was very close. The winning time was 15:47, with Welch running a 16:31. That’s only a difference of 44 seconds between 13 places. Welch ran a 4:48 mile followed by a 10:20 two-mile. That is faster than any two-mile he has ever run on a track.

Welch said he is very proud of himself. He didn’t come into the season in as good of shape as some of the coaches would have wanted. But, he worked hard all season to strengthen his legs and increase his stamina. At the beginning of the season he was not beating other local standouts, such as Esko’s Jackson Lindquist or Cook County’s Kieran Scannell who placed 38th at the state meet. But, that is why it matters what you do at the end of the season when Welch beat Scannell to win the Section meet.

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