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For the second consecutive season Charles Henderson cross country athlete Nico Brunje made the Class 5A State Championship Meet.

Brunje, who is just a sophomore, tied his personal best at the state meet and was the only CHHS cross country athlete to complete the season.

“We started with four guys but cross country is (Brunje’s) passion and that’s what he does,” CHHS Coach LaKenya Knight said. “He was nonstop. Everyone claims to be an athlete but when you run cross country you definitely have to be an athlete. I was super proud of him. He never complained and did just did an awesome job all season.”

Brunje was also pleased with the way the 2023 season went.

“I was pretty happy. I made state last year, so it was nice to be able to keep that going and stay consistent with that,” Brunje said.

Brunje, who also runs for the CHHS Track team, said that cross country provides a unique set of challenges for runners.

“The hardest thing is probably the trails, depending on the course they can really vary a lot,” he said. “Some can be really hilly and others there can be areas where you can sprain your ankle pretty easily.”

Brunje, who has always loved running, said that he hopes he can continue to find success until eventually earning a college scholarship.

“I’ve been casually running for awhile and I thought being able to possibly compete to get a scholarship was a really good opportunity for me,” he said. “I just want to keep progressing and get to the point where I can earn a scholarship for cross country.”