Thomas Knobbe led Gustavus to a first place finish on Saturday.
NORTHFIELD, Minn. – Following a two week hiatus from competition, the Gustavus Adolphus men’s cross country team did not seem to have any rust on its legs, as it earned a first place finish at Carleton’s Running of the Cow’s meet at the Carleton College Arboretum. The Gusties placed three runners inside the top-5, helping them tally just 40 points, two shy of second place Carleton.
“Our men ran very well today,” said Coach Dale Bahr. “These guys are running with passion, they are running with desire, and they look like a team that wants to prove something. Beating teams like Carleton and Nebraska Wesleyan puts an even bigger target on our backs. They put that initial target on there earlier in the year, and they were back today to prove that their early season success wasn’t a fluke.”
After leading the team for the entirety of the 2014 season, Thomas Knobbe (Jr., Decorah, Iowa) worked his way back to the top of the Gustie lineup for the first time in 2015, finishing with a time of 25:40.7, good for a third place finish and his best time of the year. Paul Nordquist (Sr., Edina, Minn.), who has led the team in each of the Gusties’ first three meets in 2015, was right behind Knobbe in fourth place after crossing the finish line in 25:54.7. Evan Jones (Jr., Pella, Iowa) was the third Gustie in the top-5, as he finished in fifth place with a time of 25:58.0.
Carston Dammann (So., Lake City, Minn.) was fourth for the Gusties on the day, taking 12th place with a time of 26:33.6, and Marcus Speca (Sr., Minnetonka, Minn.) rounded out the Gustavus lineup with a time of 27:01.7, good for 16th place.
“After the meet, we emphasized that we can’t be afraid to run with the big teams now,” said Bahr. “We’ve proven we can beat good teams at the smaller meets, but now it’s going to be about going into the big meets and proving we can do it there, too. La Crosse will be a great chance to do that and I know our guys are excited for that opportunity. Our guys have really bought into our training scheme, they believe in the things we’re doing, and anytime you have buy in like we do from our guys, it’s going to be a huge advantage. That being said, we know it’s a process and know we have much more to work on and prove.”
Gustavus will take another week off from competition before returning to the course on Saturday, October 17 when they will travel to La Crosse, Wisconsin for the UW-La Crosse Invitational.