Wardle wraps up breakout sophomore season on Red Wing cross country team

Setting up for Coaches Corner at Hanisch Bakery on a fall Saturday morning, a flash of purple bolts past the window. It’s Jack Wardle going for his daily run.

Staying committed to pushing himself and running more often, more consistently during the week, Wardle isn’t just a frequent sight through town; he’s one of Red Wing’s top runners.

The sophomore came out for cross country last year after being convinced by current teammate Tristan Wilczynska and recent Red Wing graduate Owen Runquist. He has enjoyed everything about cross country, saying it's one of the best decisions he's made.

Since joining, Wardle said he didn't want simply to participate. He wanted to be near the front of the pack.

"Back then, I was just getting into cross country. I just want to get better because I realized I really liked it," he said. "I like the sport. I liked how it made me feel really tired. I just didn't want to run 31s for the 5K. That led to me dropping a lot of time. I knew that I wanted to be good and to get good at cross country. I really wanted to be up there with the best people. I started running a lot more. I did track, too."

By running 31s, Wardle was referring to his time to run the event. He was running with the JV last season and clocked in at 31 minutes, 50.9 seconds at the St. Olaf High School Showcase. His time took a noticeable drop at the 2025 Red Wing Invite when Wardle ran a 26:36.3. He later ran 23:12.3 in the final meet of the season, the Section 1AA JV race.

This season, again running in the St. Olaf Showcase, Wardle finished with a time of 19:56.6.

Early in the season, assistant coach Bryce Baker said Wardle was the most improved runner. Head coach Katie Rausch said you'd expect runners to steadily drop time during the season, but to have that much time dropped in one summer, one year is infrequent.

Wardle said he owes his rapid progression to a couple of things, summer running and the will to improve.

"I took advice from online and two of my teammates. I heard running more miles can really help you get a lot faster. Helps you build an aerobic engine, which will help you not slow down during a race. It'll make you feel less tired in a way," Wardle said. "I tried to figure out what I should do on what days. I never really did any workouts unless there was a coach there and they told us to do a workout. I feel like that whole milage base, that got me a lot faster."

His running during the summer consisted of running 25 to 30 miles per week. Starting every day around 8 a.m., a run club meets in Red Wing. Wardle joined on, thinking of the benefits of having others around him.

"I think running with a group like that helps improving with how you run," Wardle said, "because then it'll teach you to go with people and your training partners will push you to be better and you'll want to be better."

Wardle wasn't done getting better and continuing to set new PRs. After the St. Olaf Showcase, he kept dropping time. His final PR of the season came at the HVL Conference Meet, where he ran an 18:15.4.

He said anybody interested in cross country or just running in general should and could join the local run club. It's a low-pressure situation where someone can learn how to push themselves, similar to Wardle.

His goal for this season was to break 18 minutes. He came close. Two Red Wing runners qualified for an individual spot at the state meet Saturday, Nov. 7, in Ham Lake. Wardle wasn't one of them.

"I knew I probably wouldn't make state this year, but it's a goal I have for next year. When I watched (Owen Runquist) run there last year, I was like, 'I want to be doing that,'" he said.

Although the season still feels like a success to Wardle.

"Yeah, it has because I like being fast now and being third on the team," he said.

Wilczynska and Tanner Ide each placed high enough to qualify as individuals for the state meet. Wilczynska was sixth overall with a time of 16:27.6 and Ide came in at 16:46.6 to earn ninth.

The Class AA state meet begins with the first race at 2:30 p.m. at Majestic Oaks Golf Club.