RAPID CITY — All season long Kimball/White Lake ran under the Class B cross-country radar and prior to the start of Saturday’s race coach Stephanie McCord said that’s exactly how she likes it. 

The WiLdKats let everyone know they meant business early as Alli McCord and Lily Baker charged up the first big incline side-by-side with eventual winner Ella Boekelheide of Northwestern. McCord finished fourth (20:24), Baker fifth (20:35) and Autumn Baker 13th (21:03). Kimball/White Lake scored 22 points, well ahead of second-place Ipswich (42). 

“Our girls put on a heck of a race today,” Stephanie McCord said. “Our No. 1 girl today has typically been our second or third girl and she ran out of her mind.” 

McCord said her team could have been even more dominant as junior Autumn Baker has been running under the weather.

“Autumn has a real lack of energy lately so for us to go out there and do what we did today was remarkable,” she said. 

In 2020 and ‘21, Kimball/White Lake won Class B state championships. In each of the last two years, KWL was moved up to Class A before being moved down again this year. Lily Baker was on that 2021 state championship team and said that experience and the right mindset helped in 2024. 

“It feels good,” Lily Baker said. “We had a dream and a hard mindset today and that really helped.” 

Kimball/White Lake's Alli McCord, right, and Lily Baker race side-by-side during the Class A girls race during the SDHSAA state championship cross country meet on Saturday at Hart Ranch. (Matt Gade / 605 Sports)