Mark Hartman

The Gustavus men’s cross team wrapped up its 2009 season with a 16th place finish out of 25 teams at the NCAA Central Region Meet hosted by Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa.  The Gusties totalled 442 points.  St. Thomas and Nebraska Wesleyan tied for first place with 116 points.  Gustavus was led individually by Mark Hartman who finished 71st with a time of 26:54.4.

Following Hartman across the finish line for Gustavus were Max Hanson (83rd – 27:05.7), Anders Bowman (27:08.4), Nick Ross (97th – 27:19.2), Carson Smith (100th – 27:21.7), John Kennedy (129th – 28:06.9), and Mark Bartley (130th – 28:07.1).

Complete Results

2009 MIAC Cross Country Championships

The men’s cross country team posted an eighth place finish (out of 11) at the MIAC Championships, which were held at the Como Park Golf Course in St. Paul on Saturday afternoon.  The team, which tallied a score of 207, was led by Nick Ross who finished 32nd in a time of 27:20.  Hamline won the team title with a score of 61.

Ross led a tightly grouped top seven for the Gusties.  Following Ross across the finish line were John Kennedy (35th place, 27:29), Max Hanson (37th place, 27:30), Mark Hartman (48th place, 27:52), Carson Smith (55th place, 28:07), Jeremy Kuhn (57th place, 28:11), and Alex Thornton (60th place, 28:18).

Coach Dale Bahr felt that the team performed well despite racing without one of its top runners.  He stated, “The men went out strong, but were unable to hold their early position.” Bahr added, “We were missing our #2 runner Anders Bowman because of illness, which played a big factor in our 8th place finish.  There were a few guys that stepped up and had very good races to try to fill the void.  All in all, we ran very well, we just did not have the front runners, that a team needs to be in the top five.”

The Gusties will compete in the Fall Finale at Saint John’s on Friday, Nov. 6 and then take part in the NCAA Central Regional on Saturday, Nov. 14 in Grinnell, Iowa.

Complete Results

2009 MIAC Cross Country Championships

The Gustavus men’s and women’s cross country teams will take part in the MIAC Championships this Saturday at Como Park Golf Course in St. Paul, Minn.  The women’s race is scheduled to begin at 2:15 p.m. with the men’s race to follow at 3:15 p.m.

Gustavus Women’s Preview
The Gustavus Adolphus women’s cross country team has battled injury and illness for most of the regular season and new head coach Dale Bahr is hoping that the squad is finally healthy and can improve on the Gusties’ seventh place finish at the MIAC Championships last season.

The Gusties sport a youthful roster with only three seniors on the team.  Leading the way for Gustavus will be sophomore Brooke Beskau  (Hastings, Minn.), who placed ninth at last year’s MIAC Championship. She was one of five Gusties to place within the top 58 at the 2008 conference meet.  Joining Beskau will be letterwinners Danielle Burgmeier (So., Plymouth, Minn.) (45), Megan Lundgren (Jr., Mankato, Minn.) (49), Vanessa Jones (Sr., Grand Forks, North Dakota) (50), Kim Rostvold (So., Grand Rapids, Minn.) (58), and Kathy Westergren (Jr., Duluth, Minn.).  Newcomers who have contributed to the top seven several times this season include Liz Hauer (Fy., Little Falls, Minn.) and Kate Eggers (Fy., Montevideo, Minn.).

Coach Dale Bahr will look to this solid group of returners to help put the team back in the top four in the MIAC, after placing outside the top four last season for just the third time this decade.

Gustavus Men’s Preview
The Gusties return four letterwinners from a season ago, all of who placed within the top 65 in the 2008 conference meet.  Mark Hartman (Sr., White Bear Lake, Minn.) is the top returning runner from a season ago after he placed 27th overall with a time of 26.38.   In addition to Hartman, Gustavus returns Nick Ross (Jr., Hastings, Minn.) (40), Anders Bowman (So., Plymouth, Minn.) (50), and John Kennedy (Sr., Coon Rapids, Minn.) (65).  The Gusties graduated All-Conference and All-Region runner Dan Foley (Minneapolis, Minn.) who placed fifth in the conference last season, clocking in at 25:34.

Others who have consistently placed in the top seven this season and will likely contribute at the MIAC Championships include Max Hanson (Sr., Montrose, Minn.), Jeremy Kuhn (Jr., St. Michael, Minn.), Mark Bartley (So., Blue Earth, Minn.), Alex Thornton (So., Byron, Minn.) and Adam Lund (Fy., Burnsville, Minn./Apple Valley).

Coach Bahr has been pleased with the progress of his young squad this season and feels that if his team can run relaxed an focused at the MIAC Championships that it can place in the upper division in one of the top men’s cross country conferences in the country.

MIAC Championship Preview (Courtesy of MIAC Office)
The 2009 MIAC Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Championship will take place this Saturday, October 31 at Como Park Golf Course in St. Paul. The women’s race is scheduled to begin at 2:15 p.m. with the men’s race to follow at 3:15 p.m. The 2009 Championships are hosted by the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University.

Five of the top ten women’s teams in the Central Region will take to the course at Saturday’s MIAC Championships. A year after being edged by St. Thomas by two points for the MIAC title and beating Carleton by three points, Bethel enters the championship as the #1 team in the region and #14 in the nation. Carleton (#4 in the region, #20 in the nation) will pose a threat to the Royals for the team title, as will St. Thomas (5th in the region, 23rd in the nation). Other regionally ranked MIAC teams include St. Olaf at #7 and Gustavus at #10.

In 2008, the MIAC women’s team title was decided by one of the smallest margins of all time. In 2009, it could be the men’s turn for an extremely close team race. Of the five MIAC men’s teams ranked in the Central Region, none has set themselves apart from the pack. St. Thomas has the highest ranking (3rd in the region and 22nd in the nation), but will face fierce competition for the top spot in the conference. St. Olaf (5th), Saint John’s (6th), Augsburg (7th), and Hamline (8th) are all close behind the Tommies in the regional rankings. Last season, St. Olaf, Hamline, and St. Thomas were the top three finishers in the MIAC team race.

2008 MIAC and NCAA Division III Women’s Champion Marie Borner, a senior from Bethel, returns for her final MIAC Championship after winning the MIAC race last season by 45 seconds. Bethel junior Alex Potter and Carleton sophomore Simone Childs-Walker finished second and third last year and will likely pose the biggest threats to Borner. Other returning All-Conference runners from 2008 include: Concordia junior Hailey Brenden, Hamline senior Margot Branigan, Carleton senior Laura Roach, Gustavus junior Brooke Beskau, Saint Benedict sophomore Kaycee Knutson, St. Thomas senior Kelly Russ, Macalester senior Erin Lowrey, Bethel junior Kristin Mork, and Bethel senior Heather Jelen.

Seven MIAC Men’s All-Conference runners return from 2008, including St. Olaf junior Duboul Ruon, last year’s individual champion. Bethel senior Dan Greeno (fourth in 2008) has had a strong fall campaign and will compete with Ruon for the title. Augsburg’s Brent Haglund, Hamline’s Ian Bauer, Carleton’s Charlie Gamble, and Macalester’s Wade Ekstrom finished seventh through tenth last year and all four seniors should contend for first place at their final MIAC Championship. St. Thomas sophomore Ben Sathre, the Tommies’ top runner, is the final All-Conference returnee after he placed 14th in 2008.

MIAC Championships Web Site

Mark Hartman

The Gustavus men’s cross country team finished 21st out of 29 at the Jim Drews Invitational hosted by the University of Wisconsin at La Crosse. The meet was held in West Salem, Wisconsin. Mark Hartman was the top Gustie finisher as he placed 117th with a time of 26:41.

The rest of the top seven for Gustavus included:
Anders Bowman (119th) with a time of 26;41.3
John Kennedy (145th) with a time of 26:56.4
Nick Ross (208th) with a time of 27:34.4
Mark Barlety (217th) with a time of 27:43.7
Alex Thornton (249th) with a time of 28:02.7
Jeremy Kuhn (255th) with a time of 28:05.3

The rest of the Gustavus finishers included:
Max Hanson (260th) with a time of 28:08.5
Jon Kasprisin (320th) with a time of 29:00.8
Adam Lund (322nd) with a time of 29:01.5
Cristian Raether (330th) with a time of 29:09.1
362 12 Jeremy Bock (362nd) with a time of 29:36.0
390 13 Ian Gibbs-Hall (390th) with at time of 30:15.5
399 14 Steve Grimsby (399th) with a time of 30:25.9
402 15 Ben Whalen (402) with a time of 30:29.9
442 16 Andrew Nelson (442nd) with a time of 32:17.1
458 17 Eric Bly (458th) with a time of 33:59.4

MEN (5K)
1 James Krajsa MSU 19:35
2 Jonathan Stoltman MSU 19:47
3 Denise Mokaya MSU 19:54
4 Jacob Bastyr MSU 20:00
5 Nick Emmans MSU 20:01
6 Mustafa Yusuf MSU 20:03
7 Anders Bowman Gustavus 20:04
8 John Kennedy Gustavus 20:11
9 Jeff Lombardo MSU 20:19
10 Nick Jamnick MSU 20:27
11 Adam Noll MSU 20:34
12 Dan Kromer MSU 20:36
13 Mark Hartman Gustavus 20:40
14 Max Hanson Gustavus 20:44
15 Tom Becker MSU 20:45
16 Carson Smith Gustavus 20:46
17 Jeremy Kuhn Gustavus 20:56
18 Luke Delaney MSU 20:57
19 Matt Jozwiak UNATT 21:06
20 Mark Bartley Gustavus 21:07
21 Nick Ramberg UNATT 21:10
22 Alex Thornton Gustavus 21:17
23 Eric Annison UNATT 21:42
24 Adam Lund Gustavus 21:43
25 Andrew Comstock Gustavus 21:50
26 Jon Kasprisin Gustavus 21:53
27 Cristian Raether Gustavus 22:10
28 Todd Reed UNATT 22:16
29 Daniel Ejigu UNATT 22:17
30 Edward VanPelt UNATT 22:30
31 Jeremy Bock Gustavus 22:35
32 Chase Caywood UNATT 23:06
33 Fitty Cent UNATT 23:07
34 Steve Grimsby Gustavus 23:12
35 Ben Whalen Gustavus 23:16
36 Michael White Gustavus 23:19
37 Andrew Nelson Gustavus 23:20
38 Eric Bly Gustavus 26:39
39 Ken Krajsa UNATT 30:37

Coach Dale Bahr stated, “The team ran a solid race. Our top runner (Mark Hartman) dropped out because of an injury he sustained during the race. The others packed up very well and ran strong.”

The Gusties will not race next weekend and then will return to action on Saturday, Oct. 10 at the Minnesota State, Mankato Invitational.

Gustavus’ top seven finishers:
1 74 Nick Ross 27:36.0
2 81 Anders Bowman 27:45.9
3 108 John Kennedy 28:11.9
4 115 Mark Bartley 28:16.1
5 118 Kurt Prieve 28:17.7
6 (168) Adam Lund 29:15.4
7 (178) Max Hanson 29:34.7

Complete Results

Mark Hartman placed 15th in a time of 26:55. (Photo by Caleb Williams for D3sports.com)

The Gustavus men’s cross country team tied for seventh place with 186 points at the 17-team St. Olaf Invitational on Saturday morning. The Gusties were paced by senior Mark Hartman who finished 15th out of 244 runners in a time of 26:55. Minnesota State, Mankato won the meet with 65 points.

Coach Dale Bahr was very pleased with how the team stayed together in a tight pack for the majority of the race. Hartman pulled away at the finish, but the Gusties earned a solid seventh place finish in a strong field due to the fact that five runners finished in the top 64 including three in the top 35.

Following Hartman across the finish line were Nick Ross in 31st place (27:23), Anders Bowman in 34th position (27:26), John Kennedy in 42nd place (27:43), and Jeremy Kuhn in 64th place (28:10).

Complete Results

Mark Hartman finished third overall, with a time of 15:52.

The Gustavus men sprinting as the race begins.

The Gustavus men’s cross country team hosted its annual Alumni Meet in the Arboretum. Twenty-nine runners participated in the 5,000 meter event, including 17 members of the Gustavus team and 12 former Gusties. John Leaf, who graduated last season, placed first with a time of 15:26. The top Gustavus runner was Anders Bowman who finished second in a time of 15:41. The scores for the meet were Gustavus 23, Alumni 38.

The Gusties run next on September 19, at 11:00 a.m. as the team travels to Northfield for the St. Olaf Invite.

Results:

John Leaf: 15:26 – Alumni
Anders Bowman: 15:41 – Gustavus
Mark Hartman: 15:52 – Gustavus
James Sorenson: 15:53 – Alumni
John Kennedy: 16:06 – Gustavus
Mark Bartley: 16:11 – Gustavus
Nick Ross: 16:14 – Gustavus
Carson Smith: 16:16 – Gustavus
Kurt Prieve: 16:17 – Gustavus
Dan Foley: 16:43 – Almni
Brent Magnuson: 16:45 – Alumni
Adam Lund: 16:45 – Gustavus
Jeremy Kuhn: 16:48 – Gustavus
Alex Thornton: 17:24 – Gustavus
Mark Petersen: 17:25 – Gustavus
Max Hanson: 17:44 – Gustavus
Finn Kuusisto: 17:53 – Alumni
Steve Grimsby: 17:53 – Gustavus
Mark Hall: 17:59 – Alumni
Cristian Raether: 18:01 – Gustavus
Darrick Proehl: 18:02 – Alumni
Drew Skanlund: 18:04 – Alumni
Nate Porath: 18:11 – Alumni
Andrew Nelson: 18:38 – Gustavus
Ben Whalen: 18:40 – Gustavus
Jared Stevens: 19:20 – Alumni
Ryan Taylor: 19:35 – Alumni
Eric Bly: 19:44 – Gustavus
Paul Sellers: 22:56 – Alumni

The Gusties dominated the race as five runners placed in the top seven including Hartman in first, Bowman in second, John Kennedy in fourth (28:47), Carson Smith in sixth (29:07) and Mark Bartley in seventh (29:12). Ten Gustavus runners placed in the top 20 spots at the meet.

Head Coach Dale Bahr was very pleased by the team’s performance. He stated, “This group really stepped up and showed us they were ready to compete.” He added, “Our summer mileage was way up and it showed in our performance today on a very challenging course.”

The Gusties totaled 20 points as a team, followed by the College of Saint Scholastica (62), UW-Superior (68), and Northland College (92). Gustavus runs again on September, 12 as Caoch Bahr and the Gusties host the Alumni Meet starting at 10:30 am.

Results

The team heading out for its morning training run.

Coah Bahr addresses the team at the start of practice.

Gustavus men’s cross country ushered in a new era as Head Coach Dale Bahr welcomed 21 runners to campus on Monday, August 24. The team returns five letterwinners from a year ago and will look to improve on the results last season where the Gusties finished sixth in the conference.

The Gusties return five letterwinners from a season ago, all of who placed in the top 65 in the MIAC. Senior Mark Hartman is the top returning runner as he placed 27th overall at he MIAC Championships. In addition to Hartman, Gustavus returns senior John Kennedy, junior Nick Ross, and sophomore Anders Bowman. The Gusties graduated All-Conference and All-Region runner Dan Foley (Minneapolis, Minn.) who placed fifth at the conference meet last fall.

Coach Bahr will work to help this veteran group of returners move into the upper tier of the MIAC. Coach Bahr and the Gusties will start the season off in Ashland, Wisconsin on September 1, at 11:30am at the Northland College Invite.

2009 Schedule

2009 Roster

2008 Results