— A rookie to the sport, Taylor Munsch is making every race count with the
New London-Spicer girls cross-country team
this season.
And, truth be told, the three-sport senior athlete who traded her elbow and knee pads from volleyball for running spikes has elevated the Wildcats big time.
NLS, which entered the season as an unranked team in Class A, has been No. 1 since Sept. 15 behind its bolstered lineup.
“We’ve been training really hard and over the summer we put in a lot of miles to get a lot better,” Munsch said. “It’s (the season) been going really good.”
A transition to a running sport like cross-country can be daunting.
New London-Spicer senior Taylor Munsch ran to a second-place finish at the Little Crow Invitational on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025, at Little Crow Golf Resort in Spicer.
Michael Lyne / West Central Tribune
But for Munsch, it was seamless.
Munsch built up a base in running through competing in the 800-meter run, 4×400 and 4×800 and being coached by Disa Daucsavage in girls track and field.
Daucsavage serves as the head coach for the NLS boys and girls cross-country teams.
“Taylor is a great addition to the team; I think we would’ve been strong without her this season, but she has just given us that added boost,” Daucsavage said.
She sure has.
Munsch has placed second overall in five of the Wildcats’ seven invitationals this fall. She clocked a personal-record 19 minute, 9.6 seconds race in the Litchfield Invitational on Thursday. In the two races where she did not finish second, she was third and fourth.
“I’m proud of myself,” said Munsch, who is hoping a strong cross-country season leads to a successful track and field season in the spring. “It was a really good choice (to switch) and I’m happy.”
New London-Spicer freshman Kyla Vick nears the finish line before taking first place in the Paynesville/Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa Invitational on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, at Koronos Hills Golf Club in Paynesville.
Michael Lyne / West Central Tribune
Munsch’s success has created a lethal 1-2 punch with teammate Kyla Vick, who is one of the top Class A runners in the state, for the Wildcats, who have won five of their seven invitationals. NLS placed second behind Little Falls in the Sauk Centre Invitational on Tuesday and was also second behind Delano, a Class AA team, in the Litchfield Invitational on Thursday.
Vick, a freshman who advanced to the AA state tournament a season ago, is ranked 12th among Class A individuals.
In her third season of varsity with the Wildcats, Vick has earned medalist honors in six of NLS’ seven invitationals this season.
I’m very proud of how I’m doing,” said Vick, who clocked 202 miles over the summer, following her first-place finish at the Paynesville/Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa Invitational on Sept. 23. “I’m hoping to get into the 18 minutes coming up here.”
At the Litchfield Invitational on Thursday, Vick reached the 18-minute mark for the first time. She placed second in 18:49.6 behind St. John’s Prep’s Margaret Duffy, who earned medalist honors in 18:22.3 and is ranked second among Class A individuals.
Hazel Vetsch also has stepped up for the Wildcats. The sophomore has placed in the top 10 in five of her six races. That comes after a freshman season where she cracked the top 10 twice.
New London-Spicer sophomore Hazel Vetsch placed fourth in the Paynesville/Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa Invitational on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, at Koronis Hills Golf Club in Paynesville.
Michael Lyne / West Central Tribune
Also in the lineup and contributing are sophomore Sydney Peltier, junior captain Stella Moline, senior captain Mady Woelfel and the recently added eighth-grader Audrey Moline.
“Our girls have finally bought into summer running, the training in the summer, so that when we can start the season, they’re ready to train at a different level than when we didn’t put the miles in prior years,” Daucsavage said. “That’s what’s helped us to be successful so far this season.”
NLS hopes to run its way to state for the first time since 2009. It has made 12 state appearances in program history, including state championships in 2000, ’01 and ’02.
And, with their move from Class AA to Class A, the Wildcats have a good shot.
They are the heavy favorites in a 20-team Section 6A, which includes Minnewaska (12th in Class A) and Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg/Benson.
New London-Spicer senior Mady Woelfel nears the finish line before securing a 17th place finish in the Paynesville/Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa Invitational on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, at Koronis Hills Golf Club in Paynesville.
Michael Lyne / West Central Tribune
Previously, NLS was in a tough Section 8AA, which included Alexandria, Little Falls, Perham and Willmar.
Alexandria moved up to Class AAA and is ranked ninth in the state. Perham and Little Falls are the second- and sixth-ranked teams in Class AA. Willmar is receiving votes in Class AA.
“The girls, last year, when they went to watch Kyla compete individually (at state), they saw all these single A teams that they had beat all season that were running in the single A state meet, so they were very frustrated that they couldn’t be there,” Daucsavage said. “This is our year to say, ‘Hey, we’re down in Class A. Let’s show that we deserve to be there.'”
Before the Wildcats compete in the Section 6A meet hosted by Minnewaska on Oct. 23 at Minnewaska Golf Club in Glenwood, they will look to defend their Wright County Conference title at Litchfield on Oct. 14.
“Our goal is to win the conference and make it to state,” Munsch said.
