St. Peter, Minn. – The Gustavus Adolphus men’s and women’s cross country teams are set to compete at the 2013 NCAA Division III Central Region Championships being held on Saturday, Nov. 16 on the campus of St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn. The women’s race will begin at 11:00 a.m. with the men’s race following at 12:15 p.m.
The Gustavus women’s cross country team heads into regionals after posting a fifth place finish with a score of 155 at the 2013 MIAC Championships held Saturday, Nov. 2. The Gusties took home two All-Conference honors as both juniors Caitlin Fermoyle (Mendota Heights, Minn.) and Rebecca Hare (Albany, Minn.) placed inside the top 15. Fermoyle came in 12th with a time of 23:24.7, while Hare finished right behind her in 13th with a time of 23:31.4.
At last season’s NCAA Central Region Championships also held in Northfield, both Fermoyle and Hare earned All-Region distinction through finishes inside the top 35. Hare led the team in 13th after crossing the finish line in 22:53.5, and Fermoyle placed 20th with a time of 23:12.6. The Gustie women scored 136 points to finish in a tie for fourth alongside Carleton. Wartburg won the meet with a score of 72, St. Olaf finished second (95), and Luther rounded out the podium in third (121).
Rounding out the Gustavus women’s lineup on Saturday will be Marit Henckel (Jr., Viroqua, Wis.), MaKena Hofer (So., Montevideo, Minn.), Lyndsi Schwichtenberg (Sr., Owatonna, Minn.), Lauren Shurson (So., Chanhassen, Minn.), Marit Sonnesyn (So., Plymouth, Minn.), and Danielle Wittenberg (Sr., Winona, Minn.)
The Gustavus men’s cross country heads into regionals coming off a much-improved performance at this season’s MIAC Championships. After finishing 10th in 2012, the Gusties improved to a seventh place standing with a score of 207 this season.
Joe Renier (Sr., Cambridge, Minn.) continued this stellar season at the MIAC Championships by becoming Gustavus’s first All-Conference performer since Dan Foley placed fifth in 2008. Renier crossed the finish line under the 26-minute mark for the third time, taking 11th with a time of 25:58.1
The Gustie men will look to improve once again after placing 15th with a score of 418 at last year’s NCAA Central Region Championships. Winning last year’s event was St. Olaf with a score of 70, while Central College placed second (75), and Luther finished third (144).
Also representing the Three Crowns this weekend for the men will be Carston Dammann (Fr., Lake City, Minn.), Tanner Davenport (Sr., Ham Lake, Min.), Sam Fransen (Sr., Jackson, Minn.), Evan Jones (Fr., Pella, Iowa), Thomas Knobbe (Fr., West Des Moines, Iowa), Paul Nordquist (So., Edina, Minn.), and Sam Renier (So., Cambridge, Minn.).
St. Olaf College has set up a website to help fans follow the 2013 NCAA Division III Central Region Cross Country Championships. For course maps and descriptions, spectator information, team information, and regional previews, please follow the link below.