St. Peter, Minn – The Gustavus men’s and women’s cross country teams will travel to Pella, Iowa this Saturday to take part in the Dutch Invitational. The meet will begin with the 6k women’s race at 9:30 a.m. followed by the men’s 8k race at 10:15 a.m.
The Gustie women will look to build on their performance at the Gustie Invitational/Alumni Meet held last Saturday in the Linnaeus Arboretum. Gustavus won the meet with a team score of 20, as Marit Sonnesyn (Jr., Plymouth, Minn.) was the meet’s individual champion by finishing the 5k with a time of 19:24. Teammates Caitlin Fermoyle (Mendota Heights, Minn.) and Lauren Shurson (Chanhassen, Minn.) were not far behind Sonnesyn, coming in second with a time of 19:33 and third with a time of 19:48, respectively, to give the Gusties the top three spots on the podium.
If the opening meet of the season is barometer, youth could be the theme for the men’s team in 2014. Three out of the top five finishers for Gustavus at the Gustie Invitational/Alumni Meet were sophomores, including the meet’s individual champion, Thomas Knobbe (So., Decorah, Iowa), who finished the 5k race in 16:12. Following him were Paul Nordquist (Jr., Edina, Minn.), Evan Jones (So., Pella, Iowa), Carston Dammann (So., Lake City, Minn.) and Matt Carlson (Sr., Roseville, Minn.) to give Gustavus five runners in the top 11.
The Dutch Invitational will be a new experience for the members of the Gustavus men’s and women’s cross country teams. The meet takes the place of the Saint John’s Invitational, which the Gusties have taken part in since 2011.