Sean Fries took a liking to distance running in middle school and wound up making the state cross-country meet for Minnetonka in eighth grade.

He finished 110th.

Four years of intense dedication later, he won pretty much everything he entered this fall, setting five records, including on Nov. 1, when he won his first cross-country state championship by claiming the Class 3A state title. Fries motored to an early lead — 26 seconds by the 2-mile mark — and finished the 5,000-meter course in a blistering 14 minutes, 50.6 seconds.

“Sean’s season has been absolutely amazing,” Minnetonka coach Jeff Renlund said.

Stanford-bound, Fries is the Strib Varsity All-Minnesota Boys Cross-Country Runner of the Year.

After that state meet debut, Fries finished 35th as a freshman, seventh as a sophomore and second as a junior, behind two-time champion Robert Mechura of Roseville.

Renlund said he tightened the reins on Fries a bit for this year’s section meet, conserving strength, which only helped Fries speed through the hills at Les Bolstad Golf Course in Falcon Heights.

“Five years of experience at the state meet really helps and gets you familiar with what everything will be like, what the day will be like,” Fries said.

Fries became the second Minnetonka boys runner to win a cross-country state championship, joining Nick Gilles, who won in 2021. Fries said several teammates have influenced him, especially Gilles (now at Wisconsin) and Max Westerlund (St. Thomas).

After winning the 3,200 meters and finishing second in the 1,600 at the state track and field meet in June, Fries couldn’t sneak up on anyone this fall.

“It definitely adds a little bit of extra pressure,” he said. “But you kind of just try to silence that out.”

It worked. By Renlund’s tally, these were Fries’ records:

• Aug. 28 — St. Olaf (old state meet course): 14:56
• Sept. 5 — Augustana Twilight: 14:22.2
• Sept. 20 — Roy Griak Invitational: 15:29.8
• Oct. 8 — Gale Woods Farm: 14:50.6
• Nov. 1 state meet (Bolstad): 14:50.6

The state meet time was the fastest for a high school runner on the 5,000-meter course at the University of Minnesota. State high school league archives show the race was held on the U’s 5,000-meter course from 1979-90.

The course record from that era was 15:18.8 by Totino-Grace’s John Long in 1985. The race moved to St. Olaf from 1992-2002 and the past three have been back at the U, with no times better than Fries’.

“It was not all that surprising to those who see Sean most every day in practice with his dedication, work ethic, combined with his talent,” Renlund said. “… For as excellent of a runner as he has been, he is an even better teammate and student.”