The state's returning Gatorade Runner of the Year, the 5-foot-11, 148-pound senior took silver at the national Foot Locker Cross Country Championships this past season with a time of 15:04.4 to earn First Team All-American honors. Gessner also won the Nike Cross Nationals Heartland Regional championships. He earned his second-straight Division 1 state meet title in 15:22.13, a course record, breaking the tape 16.63 seconds ahead of his next-closest competitor.
Gessner has maintained a 3.50 GPA in the classroom. He has signed a National Letter of Intent to run cross country on scholarship at the University of Wisconsin this fall.
A former ski jumper, Gessner has volunteered locally as part of multiple community-service initiatives through his church and has donated his time as a youth ski coach and running coach. "Finn's fall of 2016 was exceptional, one of the best the state has ever seen," said Joel Heroux, head coach of Oconomowoc High. "Winning the state meet handily and qualifying for both national championship meets is not an easy task."
