The Gustavus men’s and women’s cross country teams will travel to Northfield, Minn., to compete in the St. Olaf Invitational on Saturday morning. Both squads are coming off of strong performances last Saturday at the Saint John’s Invitational and look for much of the same this weekend. The men will lead things off with a 10:00 a.m. start. The women will follow at 10:45 a.m.
The women placed second a weekend ago, led by Caitlin Fermoyle (So., Mendota Heights, Minn.), who took home the gold. The sophomore crossed the line in 23:24 to record her first career win at Gustavus. The Gusties landed two more runners inside the top 15. Junior Rebecca Hare (Albany, Minn.) finished in 23:51 for fourth place and senior Beth Hauer (Little Falls, Minn.) crossed the line in 24:25 to place her 11th.
Last season the Gustie women placed fifth in a field of 16 teams at the St. Olaf Invitational. Hauer led the way, finishing 13th with a time of 23:17. This year’s field is extensive, with 39 teams invited between the men and women. Included in the women’s field are Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) foes Augsburg, Carleton, Concordia, Hamline, Macalester, Saint Benedict, St. Catherine, Saint Mary’s, St. Olaf, and St. Thomas.
The Gustie men also contributed a strong showing at the Saint John’s Invitational last Saturday, placing third. Joseph Renier (Jr., Cambridge, Minn.) registered a 17th place finish to lead Gustavus with a time of 28:05. The Gusties saw five runners finish within :31 seconds of each other last weekend, ranging from 17th to 27th place.
Last year’s St. Olaf Invitational brought the men a sixth place finish out of 14 teams. Dillon Emo (So., Brookings, S.D.) is the leading returner from that race, where he crossed the line 24th in 26:49. Other MIAC schools set to compete on the men’s side include Augsburg, Carleton, Concordia, Hamline, Macalester, Saint John’s, Saint Mary’s, St. Olaf, and St. Thomas.