Gusties Nicole Porath and Brenden Huber following their respective wins at the 2013 Fargo Marathon on Saturday.

St. Peter, Minn. - Battling the high humidity and unpredictable weather of the Red River Valley, a pair of runners with Gustavus ties made their mark at the ninth annual Fargo Marathon on Saturday.

Nicole Porath, a 2005 Gustavus graduate, crossed the finish line with a time of 2:50:49 in front of a roaring Fargodome crowd to win the women’s marathon.

“I’m not going to lie, the crowd is amazing,” said Porath about her finish. “It’s fabulous, one of the best I ever had. The course was flat and fast, although you had to be careful of some of the corners.”

Earlier in the day, Gustavus cross country and track and field assistant coach Brenden Huber won the men’s 10k race with a time of 33:41.

Huber also praised the finish line crowd, stating after the race that, “It’s my favorite finish of all the road races I do because you come into that tunnel and the crowd just lights up.  You get your third and fourth wind. It’s just electric in here when you hit the ramp. It’s a lot of fun.”

Fargo Forum Porath Release

http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/400270/publisher_ID/1/

Fargo Forum Huber Release

http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/400257/publisher_ID/1/

Fargo Marathon Website

http://www.fargomarathon.com/index.html

Photo courtesy of Sport PiX. Graphic design done by Dan Coquyt.

Photo courtesy of Sport PiX. Graphic design done by Dan Coquyt.

Indianapolis – The National Collegiate Athletic Association announced its 2012 fall sports postgraduate scholarship winners last week, naming Gustavus senior cross country runner Beth Hauer (Little Falls, Minn.) as one of the 29 male and 29 female student-athletes to receive the prestigious award.

“It is an honor to be awarded this scholarship,” said Hauer.  “I’ve had an excellent experience at Gustavus in academics, arts, and athletics and have appreciated the opportunity to work with excellent faculty and coaches. I could not have had the experience I did if my professors and coaches had not challenged and supported me during my college career.”

To qualify, student-athletes must excel academically and athletically, be in their final year of eligibility and plan to pursue graduate study. Student-athletes must also maintain at least a 3.2 grade-point average and be nominated by their institution’s faculty athletics representative.  Created in 1964, NCAA postgraduate scholarships promote and encourage education by rewarding the Association’s most accomplished student-athletes.

Beth Hauer along with assistant coach Brenden Huber at the 2012 NCAA Cross Country Championships. Photo courtesy of Dillon Emo.

Hauer is the 33rd Gustavus student-athlete to receive an NCAA postgraduate scholarship since football player James Goodwin became the first in 1974.

“A humble and determined athlete, Beth is a true model of what the Gustavus is all about.  It is great to see Beth awarded with such a great honor her senior year,” said Head Coach Dale Bahr.

A four-year member of the women’s cross country team, Hauer has been a staple in coach Bahr’s lineup since stepping onto campus in 2009.  In her tenure on the hill, Beth competed in 27 cross country races from 2009 to 2012, recording 12 top 20 finishes and placing inside the top 10 on five occasions.

Hauer’s ability to step up in big races earned her All-Conference honors three times (2010, 2011, 2012) and All-Region distinction three times (2010, 2011, 2012) as well.  In her senior season, the Little Falls, Minn. native recorded her best finish at the MIAC Championships, taking 12th with a time of 23:01.9 – her top performance ever at the MIAC meet.   Hauer helped the Gusties win the 2012 MIAC Championship, the program’s first conference title since 2003.

Gustavus went on to compete in the 2012 NCAA Championships after a fourth place finish at the Central Region Meet.  Hauer placed a career-best 16th (23:00.5) at regionals and 56th (22:25.5) at the NCAA Championships.

To go along with her commitment to the cross country team, Beth is also heavily involved in the music department at Gustavus.  Hauer currently plays the euphonium in the Gustavus wind orchestra and the trombone in the jazz lab band.

“The moment Beth came to Gustavus, she was active in so many things. Her ability to honor to her commitments to both music and running were amazing to us on the coaching staff,” commented Bahr.  “Because of her involvement on campus, mostt of her training was done on her own.  To excel as she did, despite such a unique training schedule, says a great deal about Beth’s dedication and internal motivation.”

Photo courtesy of Sport PiX.

Also a volunteer for the Study Buddies program, Beth is an instrumental music education major with a 3.96 cumulative grade point average.  Following her passion for musical instruction, she most recently worked as a project GEM teacher for the Minesota Valley Education District where she taught weekly music classes to grades 5-12 with moderate to severe emotional behavioral disorders.

After earning her degree this spring, Beth plans to search for a job as a music teacher of either a band or in the classroom.  After gaining teaching experience, Beth will pursue a master’s degree through a summer program in order to help herself grow as an educator.  She also has a strong interest in coaching and would like to coach cross country, nordic skiing, or track.

The NCAA awards up to 174 postgraduate scholarships annually, 87 for men and 87 for women. The scholarships are awarded to student-athletes in their final year or intercollegiate athletics competition that excels academically and athletically. The scholarships are one-time, non-renewable grants of $7,500 that can be used for research, books, tuition and other educational expenses at any graduate school.

“As an educator, I believe students should be challenged to achieve academically while having meaningful experiences in the arts and athletics,” Hauer concluded.  “Having the opportunity to be a music education major involved in multiple ensembles and a member of an athletic team has made my college career rewarding and memorable. My hope is to apply what I have learned and experienced at Gustavus to help my future students be successful academically while being highly involved in the arts and athletics.”

NCAA Release

St. Paul, Minn. –

Of those 329 selections, 27 were members of the Gustavus Adolphus College Athletics Department.  A total of seven football players, six women’s soccer players, five women’s cross country runners, four men’s soccer players, two men’s golfers, two women’s golfers, and one men’s cross country runner represented Gustavus on this year’s list.

Athletically, student-athletes in team sports must compete in 50 percent of their team’s regular-season varsity contests. The team sports eligible were football, volleyball, men’s soccer and women’s soccer. Cross country student-athletes were required to finish in the overall top 50 or their team’s top seven at the MIAC Championship. Golfers were required to be a member of the competing team at the MIAC Championships to be eligible for the honor.

MIAC Academic All-Conference awardees are announced twice annually, after the completion of the fall and spring academic semesters. The MIAC Winter/Spring 2012-13 Academic All-Conference selections will be announced in late June. The MIAC Academic All-Conference archives can be accessed here.

MIAC Release

Fall 2012 Gustavus Academic All-Conference Honorees

Men’s Cross Country

Joseph Renier (Jr.,  Cambridge, Minn.)

Women’s Cross Country

Meredith Bache-Wiig (Sr., Plymouth, Minn.), Kate Eggers (Sr., Montevideo, Minn.), Caitlin Fermoyle (So., Mendota Heights, Minn.), Rebecca Hare (So., Albany, Minn.), Elizabeth Hauer (Sr., Little Falls, Minn.)

Football

Torey Asao (Jr., Chaska, Minn.), Jacob Forcier (So., Watkins, Minn.), Brian Grundmeyer (Sr., Inver Grove Heights, Minn.), Brian Karg (Sr., Annandale, Minn.), Bryce Kroells (Jr., Green Isle, Minn.), Zach Vine (So., Lino Lakes, Minn.), Trevor Winkelman (Jr., Eagan, Minn.)

Men’s Golf

Andrew Oakes (Jr., Hermantown, Minn.), Coby Rowley (Sr., Prior Lake, Minn.)

Women’s Golf

Kayleigh Dittes (Sr., Eden Prairie, Minn.), Elizabeth Strom (So., Fargo, N.D.)

Men’s Soccer

Bryan Bjork (Sr., Stillwater, Minn.), Casey Gilbert (Jr., Marshfield, Wis.), Evan Odean (Sr., Duluth, Minn.), Sean Sendelbach (Jr., Sioux Falls, S.D.)

Women’s Soccer

Leah Brossoit (Jr., Rochester, Minn.), Nicole Carlson (Sr., Plymouth, Minn.), Margaret Lane (Sr., Saginaw, Minn.), Emily Papagapitos (Jr., Maplewood, Minn.), Jessica Richert (Sr., Freeburg, Ill.), Andra Trakalo (So., Prior Lake, Minn.)

Nichole Porath crosses the finish line in world record time. (Photo courtesy of Runner’s World)

Northfield, Minn. - Former Gustavus cross country runner Nichole Porath `05 set a new world record for indoor marathons at the Zoom! Yah! Yah! Indoor Marathon held on the campus of St. Olaf College on Saturday.

Finishing in a final time of 2:57:34, Porath shattered the previous world record by more than 10 minutes.  The former record, set last year by Melissa Gillette, clocked 3:08:53.  The marathon entailed 150 laps around the indoor track in the St. Olaf field house.

Porath, a native of Arco, Minn., was an All-Conference performer in each of her four years under the direction of Head Coach Scott Jerome, taking home the honor in 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004.  Porath finished inside the top-10 at all four MIAC Championships with her best finish coming in 2002 when she placed third after crossing the finish line in 18:50.3 at the meet.  She was a member of the first Gustavus women’s cross country team to win a MIAC Championship in 2003, placing fourth with a time of 18:55.  Porath advanced to the NCAA Championships three times, placing 68th in 2001, 43rd in 2002, and 45th in 2003.

Runner’s World Release

Terre Haute, Ind. –

“It was a great experience,” explained head coach Dale Bahr.  “Towards the beginning of the race, all seven of our runners were at the very back of the whole field, but they fought their way back through the whole crowd.  I was proud of the way they raced.”

The Gustie women were able to claw their way back to 21st thanks in large part to senior Beth Hauer (Sr., Little Falls, Minn.).  In her final cross country race wearing the Three Crowns, Hauer fought all the way back up to 56th place to lead the Gusties.  She crossed the line in 22:25.5, just over 25 seconds faster than her teammate Caitlin Fermoyle (So., Mendota Heights, Minn.).  Fermoyle ran to a time of 22:52.1 for 116th place.

Kate Eggers (Sr., Montevideo, Minn.) and Rebecca Hare (So., Albany, Minn.) followed Fermoyle.  Eggers finished her Gustavus cross country career with a 126th place finish in 22:56.3 while Hare crossed the line in 133rd with a time of 22:57.9.  Senior Meredith Bache-Wiig (Sr., Plymouth, Minn.) rounded out the Gustavus top five with a 231st place finish in 23:51.0.

“None of these women had been to the national meet before this, so they didn’t really know what to expect,” continued Bahr.  “With that in mind, I thought they did a great job.  We ran well and can say that we put our best effort forward.  It was a good day for us.”

Saturday marked the first time that Gustavus has competed as a team in the NCAA Championships since 2003 when they placed 12th in a field of 24 teams.  It was just the third time in program history that the Gusties had all seven runners competing.  On 16 separate occasions, Gustavus has sent an individual to the NCAA Championships, the latest coming last season when Brooke Beskau `12 ran to a 119th place finish.

“Moving forward, our goal is to make sure this isn’t a one-time thing,” finished Bahr.  “We are going to focus on consistently making it to, and competing at the national meet.”

Complete Results

Banner courtesy of Dan Coquyt `14, Gustavus Sports Information

Banner courtesy of Dan Coquyt `14, Gustavus Sports Information

St. Peter, Minn. – For the first time in eight years, the Gustavus women’s cross country team is set to compete in the NCAA Championships.  After finishing in a tie for fourth place last weekend at the NCAA Central Region Championships, the Gusties were selected as one of 16 at-large teams to compete in the 32-team Championship field this weekend.  The team traveled to Terre Haute, Ind. yesterday in preparation for tomorrow’s race, which is set to begin at 12:00 p.m.

Last weekend at the NCAA Central Region Championships, the Gusties tied with Carleton for fourth with a total of 136 points.  Wartburg won the race with 72 points, while St. Olaf finished second with 95 and Luther finished third with 121 points.  Gustavus tallied four All-Region runners, an honor that is given to the first 35 runners to cross the finish line.

The four All-Region honorees were led by Rebecca Hare (So., Albany, Minn.) with a 13th place finish for the Black and Gold.  The sophomore crossed the line in 22:53.5 to achieve the first All-Region honor of her collegiate career.  Beth Hauer (Sr., Little Falls, Minn.) followed Hare in 16th in a time of 23:00.5 for her third consecutive All-Region finish.

Caitlin Fermoyle (So., Mendota Heights, Minn.) and Kate Eggers (Sr., Montevideo, Minn.) finished one after another in 20th and 21st, respectively, to round out the Gustavus top four.  Fermoyle ran to a time of 23:12.6 while Eggers ended her race in 23:12.8.  It was Fermoyle’s first All-Region honor compared to Eggers’ three All-Region finishes.

“Our goal at regionals was to move on,” stated head coach Dale Bahr.  “We reached that goal and got to nationals.  Now the focus changes to doing well at the national meet.  We are focusing on putting together our best race one more time.”

The Gusties enter the weekend ranked 25th in the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Coaches’ Poll.  One of five teams from the region to be selected for the national meet, the Gusties are among four region teams ranked in the top 25.  Wartburg sits at No. 8 in the poll while St. Olaf ranks in at No. 13 and Luther finds its spot at No. 21.

The Gustavus women are headed back to the NCAA Championships for the third time in school history, and the first time since 2003 when they placed 12th in a field of 24 teams.  Kate Eggers knows that this opportunity does not come easy, and explains it is a chance that is not taken for granted.

“Some of us have been waiting four years to get this opportunity,” Eggers mentioned.  “It has been a goal since we started running at Gustavus, so we are excited beyond belief to tear up the course this weekend.  We have come together to race as a team this year, and are determined to make our mark at nationals.”

“Our women have the exact attitude we want to have right now,” finished coach Bahr.  “The focus is there.  Everyone is relaxed and ready to go.  It has been a great atmosphere and it should be a great experience.”

Live video will be provided via NCAA.com.

Indianapolis, Ind. -

NCAA Release

NCAA Championships Page

Rebecca Hare led the way for the Gusties with a 13th place finish.

Northfield, Minn. – The Gustavus women’s cross country team tied for fourth at the NCAA Central Region Championships on Saturday afternoon.  The Gusties racked up 136 team points to match Carleton, and finished behind first-place finisher Wartburg (72), second place St. Olaf (95), and third place Luther (121).  Four Gusties finished in the top 25 to lead the way.  The fourth place finish will likely push the Gusties on to the NCAA Championships next weekend, but that fate will not be known until 3:00 p.m. tomorrow afternoon.

“The women raced well,” stated head coach Dale Bahr.  “A lot of times when you run with such high emotion like we did at the conference meet, it is hard to keep that emotion the following meet, but I thought we performed well enough to go on to the National meet.”

For the second straight race, Rebecca Hare (So., Albany, Minn.) paced the Gusties.  Hare finished in 22:53.5 for 13th place.  Just seven seconds behind her, Beth Hauer (Sr., Little Falls, Minn.) crossed the line in 23:00.5 for 16th place.

“Rebecca has been running really well for us lately,” mentioned Bahr of Hare’s performance in the late weeks.  “She has been working hard, and as a sophomore, she has looked great.”

Also finishing in the top 25 for the Gusties were Caitlin Fermoyle (So, Mendota Heights, Minn.), and Kate Eggers (Sr., Montevideo, Minn.).  Fermoyle crossed the line in 20th with a time of 23:12.6, while Eggers finished in 21st with a time of 23:12.8.

Saturday’s fourth place conclusion is the fifth top-five finish at the Regional Championships in program history, and the first since 2003 when the Gusties finished third.  Gustavus went on to finish 12th at the NCAA Championships that year under the direction of Scott Jerome.

The Gusties await the selection of at-large teams in to the NCAA Championships field tomorrow afternoon at 3:00 p.m.  If Gustavus moves on, it would compete next Saturday at 12:00 p.m. in Terre Haute, Ind.

Complete Results

St. Peter, Minn. -

Men

After a 10th place finish at the MIAC Championships on Oct. 27th, the Gustavus men’s cross country team will look for a stronger performance on Saturday morning.  Sophomore Dillon Emo (Brookings, S.D.) led the way for the second consecutive year at the conference meet.  Emo finished 41st after crossing the line in 27:02.6.  The next finisher for the Gustavus men was Adam Lund (Sr., Burnsville, Minn.) who crossed the line in 27:11.4 for 47th place.  This weekend, the men’s field will include all 11 MIAC schools, as well as Bethany Lutheran, Buena Vista, Central (Iowa), Coe, Cornell (Iowa), Dubuque, Grinnell, Loras, Luther, Marin Luther, Minnesota-Morris, Nebraska Wesleyan, Northwestern (Minn.), Simpson, St. Scholastica, and Wartburg for a field of 27 teams.

Women

Following its first place MIAC Championship performance, the Gustavus women’s cross country team will attempt to repeat their performance at the Regional Championships on Saturday.  The Gusties used strong performances across the board on their way to the second conference championship in program history.  Rebecca Hare (Jr., Albany, Minn.) led the way for the Gusties.  Hare finished fourth in 22:29.4 and was followed by Caitlin Fermoyle (Sr., Mendota Heights, Minn.) in fifth with a time of 22:33.0.  Seniors Kate Eggers (Montevideo, Minn.) and Beth Hauer (Little Falls, Minn.) earned their third All-Conference honors after finishing 10th (22:56.6) and 12 (23:01.9), respectively.  Like the men, all 12 MIAC schools will be represented in the race, and will be joined by Bethany Lutheran, Buena Vista, Central (Iowa), Coe, Cornell (Iowa), Dubuque, Grinnell, Loras, Luther, Martin Luther, Minnesota-Morris, Nebraska Wesleyan, Northwestern (Minn.), Simpson, St. Scholastica, and Wartburg to complete the 28 team field.

Meet Home

Photo courtesy of Sport PiX | Graphic design by Dan Coquyt - Gustavus Sports Information

Photo courtesy of Sport PiX | Graphic design by Dan Coquyt - Gustavus Sports Information

St. Peter, Minn. – Although the Gustavus Adolphus women’s cross country team competed just twice during the month of October, the squad’s performance at the 2012 MIAC Championships simply could not go unnoticed.  The Gusties turned in the surprise performance of the weekend with a first place showing at the conference meet, Gustavus’ first title since 2003.  A key piece and driving force behind Gustavus’ conference run was senior Kate Eggers (Montevideo, Minn.), who earns the title of Gustavus Female Student-Athlete of the Month for October for her performances.

Head Coach Dale Bahr explained that although Eggers was struggling with injuries early in the season, she was able to fight through them and eventually recover.  “Kate wasn’t sure where she was going to be at when she started running again,” explained Bahr.  “Once she started running on a consistent basis, she knew that it was going to take a little time for her to get back.  Over the course of the season, she kept steadily moving up, increasing her mileage, and increasing her time.”

After enduringly working her way back into form through September, Eggers recorded an 18th place finish at the Tori Neaubauer Invitational held on Saturday, Oct. 13 in West Salem, Wis.  The Tori Neaubauer featured the largest competitive field Gustavus would face during the regular season with 26 teams and 433 participants.

“As it came closer to the conference meet, Kate started becoming that steady runner that we had always known,” said Bahr.  “If there is one thing we can count on with Kate, it is that she is always going to be a solid and consistent leader.  She doesn’t falter and never has a bad race, thats just not her.”

At the final MIAC Championship meet of her career, Eggers proved her consistency with a 10th place finish, crossing the finish line in 22:56.6 – her second-best time of the season.

Eggers’ drive and perseverance are what truly deserve recognition, explained Bahr. “Coming into the conference meet, she suffered an injury to her ribcage that could have set her back.  Being a true leader and a true captain, she battled through it and put on display her leadership with a very strong performance.”

With her 10th place mark at the conference meet, Eggers became a three-time All-Conference performer.  Kate, along with teammateBeth Hauer (Little Falls, Minn.) who finished fourth at the MIAC Championships, became just second and third women’s cross country runners to garner All-MIAC status three times in a career.  Nichole Petersen `05 is the only Gustavus runner to take home All-Conference marks four times.