Shakopee Cross Country Standout Maria Hauger Eyes Third Straight Title

Shakopee girls cross country junior Maria Hauger is hard to catch. 

The two-time defending Class AA individual cross country champion hasn’t lost a race in two years, and the scary thing for opponents is she seems to be getting better. Hauger set a personal best time last weekend with a 13:56 finish at the Rolf Melby Invitational in Northfield.

The key? Setting her sights high.

“My goal was to get under 14 minutes,” Hauger said. “I had never done that before, so that was really cool. I won by a minute and 35 seconds.”

Hauger said she’s increased her mileage in preparation for the upcoming season. Competing in 5-kilometer and 10-kilometer races, Hauger also competed at the USA Track and Field Junior Olympics track and field championships in Wichita during the offseason, winning the 3,000-meter run and taking third in the 1,500-meter run.

Now, with a chance to compete for her third straight state title, she and her Sabers squad have their sights set high for the 2011 campaign.

“We want to make it to state, and we want to get to the top 10,” Hauger said. “Last year, we took 11th. We have a new seventh-grader that has really helped us. Hopefully, we can win our section and conference. That is what we want to do.”

If Shakopee’s squad follows Hauger’s lead, the Sabers could do just that.

Despite not coming from a “running family,” she figures to get plenty of recruiting looks based on her speed. Still, her outstanding schoolwork could could be a factor in where she runs after college, too.

She said she finished her sophomore year with a 4.0 GPA. It’s that dedication, which she has also applied to running, that has helped her succeed on the course.

“I like to be perfect, I guess,” she said. “I strive for the best.”

It’s that mentality that keeps Hauger continuing to improve. She said she feels her hard work goes a long way in making her a top runner.

She said there are plenty of things that keep her motivated to repeat as a state champion.

“The feeling of what you accomplished,” she said. “You have to be a runner to feel it and know what it feels like to win and meet your goals.”

Her biggest goal? Winning the state title in each of her final two years at the high school level.

She’s got the drive to do just that.

“My goal is to win it four years,” Hauger said. “That’s what I want to do. That has been the main major goal.”