The Gustavus women’s cross-country team participated in the Dan Huston Invitational hosted by Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa on Saturday. The Huston Invitational is a unique meet in that there are two separate races offered, one was a four kilometer race (2.48 miles) and the other was a 6 kilometer race (4.97 miles). The Gusties finished 11th (out of 16) in the 4km race and 4th (out of 7) in the 6 km race. There is also a combined team standing which adds the point totals from each race and Gustavus finished fifth with a combined score of 437.
In the 4 kilometer race, Gustavus was led by Kelly Chaudoin (So., Ely, Minn.), who finished 76th, with a time of 16:41. Chaudoin was followed by Hayley O’Connell (Fy., Victoria, Minn.), who finished 83rd, in 16:46, Jill Fagerstrom (So., Rosemount, Minn.), who placed 90th, in 16:53, Heidi Bulfer (Sr., Fairmont, Minn.), who placed 92nd, in 16:56, Raychal Zupancich (Jr., Ely, Minn.), who placed 117th, in 17:28, Nicole Soiseth (Fy., Anchorage, Alaska), who placed 124th in 17:34, Kayla Ricksham (So., Coon Rapids, Minn.), who finished 131st, in a time of 17:51, Krista Cruse (Sr., Hastings, Minn.), who placed 160th in 18:40, and Jamie Dufek (Fy., St. Paul, Minn.), who finished 169th, in a time of 19:04.
In the 8 kilometer race, the Gusties were led by Laura Edlund (Jr., Forest Lake, Minn.), who finished 7th in a time of 24:15. Others competing for Gustavus included Val Berquam (Sr., Kenyon, Minn.), who placed 14th, in a time of 24:40, Sarah Willis (Jr., Willmar, Minn.), who finished 19th, in a time of 25:09, Maari Hanson (Jr., Little Falls, Minn.), who placed 35th in a time of 26:22, Amy Jahnke (Fy., Antigo, Wis.), who placed 37th, in a time of 26:26, Sarah Cowles (So., Eagan, Minn.), who finished 40th, in a time of 26:37, Jenna Pederson (Jr., St. Cloud, Minn.), who placed 45th, in a time of 26:54, and Brenna Ress (Sr., Chaska, Minn.), who placed 61st, in a time of 29:36. Senior Hailey Harren (Cold Spring, Minn.) and junior Sarah Bernhardson (Eden Prairie, Minn.) did not run for Gustavus on Saturday.
The team will participate in the Tori Neubauer Invitational hosted by the University of Wisconsin at La Crosse this Saturday, October 14 in La Crosse, Wisconsin.