Liana Blomgren showcased on KARE 11 for empathy demonstrated during Section 3A Cross Country Meet
No, Mountain Lake Area (MLA) Wolverine girls cross country runner Liana Blomgren did not advance to the 2016 Minnesota State Class A Meet, but, in the girls 5,000-meter at the Section 3A run at Luverne on Thursday, October 27, the Mountain Lake Public High School (MLHS) harrier won the hearts of fans and runners with her unselfish act of sportsmanship – which, unfortunately, ended up with her disqualification (DQ).
During the girls race, Blomgren, who had qualified for state in the past, closed out her career by assisting Windom Area High School eighth-grader Gracie Bucher across the finish line. Bucher, too, was DQ’d. Bucher collapsed in the final 100 meters of the race, and Blomgren, who was running just behind her, assisted Bucher to her feet – and ran with her the rest of the way to the chute.
Now that act of empathy will receive statewide recognition as KARE 11’s special Emmy-winning news reporter Boyd Huppert brings the story to television during one of his “Land of 10,000 Stories” reports, set to broadcast during the Tuesday night, November 29, 10 p.m. news broadcast.
Blomgren’s cross country coaches include her father, Mountain Lake Public Elementary School (MLES) sixth-grade teacher Kyle Blomgren and Mountain Lake Public School vocal instructor Andrea Brinkman. Her mother, Kim Blomgren, a first-grade educator at MLES, is a volunteer cross country coach.
