NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The Gustavus Adolphus women’s cross country team earned a sixth place finish out of 20 teams at the St. Olaf Invite on Saturday morning. The Gusties score of 195 on Saturday was identical to that of a year ago in Northfield, as was their sixth place finish.
“The women ran strong and looked good today,” said Coach Dale Bahr. “With the large size of the meet, it was a good test for us to see where we are and gives our kids a good perspective of where we’re at and where we need to be with some of our conference competitors.”
Marit Sonnesyn (Sr., Plymouth, Minn.) led Gustavus on the day with a time of 22:50.6, good for a ninth place finish. Lauren Shurson (Sr., Chanhassen, Minn.) was next for the Gusties, running the 6k course in 23:34.7, good for 20th place. Following Shurson was Lotus Schifsky (Fy., Prescott, Wis.) in 24:37.3. Sadie Novak-Klug (So., Waseca, Minn.) and Olivia Rosenow (So., Maple Grove) took fourth and fifth, respectively for the Gusties, with Novak-Klug crossing the line in 24:37.3 (53rd place), and Rosenow finishing in 24:50.1, good for 61st.
“Marit Sonnesyn ran with a purpose today…she looked absolutely great and was very focused. Last week, she struggled a little bit, but didn’t let that affect her this week. Sadie Klug also ran very well…she put aside an injury and ran through it, which was really nice to see. Lotus also continues to impress us as a first-year. She’s a tough runner and we’re excited that she’s having such an early impact.”
Division II University of Minnesota-Duluth was the meet champion with 50 points, as each of its five scorers placed inside the top 20. Carleton College was second with a 72, including individual champion Ruth Steinke who finished in 22:03.8, and host St. Olaf College rounded out the podium with a score of 104.
Gustavus will have a weekend off before heading back to Northfield on October 3 for the Carleton Invitational, a new meet on the Gustie schedule.
“We’re looking forward to a weekend off and then hitting the ground running again,” said Bahr. “I’m proud of our team so far and I’m really looking forward to seeing how the season unfolds.”