SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Onalaska High School senior Manny Putz is headed back to the Nike Cross Nationals after a qualifying performance at the Heartland Regional on Sunday.
Putz placed second in the boys 5K championship race with a time of 14 minutes, 35.1 seconds to grab one of the five individual spots open for participation in the national meet in December.
The three-time individual WIAA Division 1 champion and University of Wisconsin commit was beaten only by Nebraska’s Juan Gonzalez, who prevailed in a close race with a time of 14:34.3.
Putz was second after the first mile and led after the second, but he entered the third part of a pack that included six runners within a second of each other. Gonzalez was one of them.
The Heartland Regional included runners from Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
Putz is a two-time national qualifier who finished fifth in 2023. The meet takes place Dec. 7 at Glendoveer Golf Course in Portland, Oregon.
Holmen junior Sabrina Lechnir also competed and was 82nd overall in the girls combined open results with a time of 19:22.1. She was 22nd in her section race, then 82nd when her time was combined with those run in the other three races.
