The Gustavus Adolphus women’s cross country team tallied 90 points to place fourth out of six teams on Saturday at Carleton’s Running of the Cow’s Meet, which was held in the Carleton College Arboretum.
“We looked good today and ran well,” said Coach Dale Bahr. “However, I know we have a lot more to give. There were a couple of individuals that I know did not run to their potential, but collectively, we did well. I do know that team is a lot better than we showed today. I think taking time off is a positive thing, both physically and mentally for our athletes, so I don’t think that time negatively effected us, I just don’t think we put it all together today. That being said, I’m not concerned. This team has some very good athletes that have the will and desire and I expect to see that moving forward.”
Marit Sonnesyn (Sr., Plymouth, Minn.) led Gustavus on the day with a second place finish after crossing the finish line in a season-best 22:31.8.
“Marit continues to run very, very well,” said Bahr. “She’s closing the gap on some frontrunners and as a senior, she’s showing what it means to go out to compete. It’s been fun watching her race this season and seeing the impact she’s had on some of our younger runners.”
Lauren Shurson (Sr., Chanhassen, Minn.) was next for the Gusties, coming in 15th place with a time of 23:15.2. Lotus Schifsky (Fy., Prescott, Wis.) followed, crossing the finish line in 23:43.4, good for 21st place. Stephanie Welke (Jr., Tomahawk, Wis.) was next with a 24:10.5 (35th place), and Courtney Branch (Sr., Minnetonka, Minn.) rounded out the Gustavus lineup in 44th place with a time of 24:25.2.
“We continue to train hard, but know the end of the season is when it counts,” said Bahr. “I know our ladies aren’t satisfied with where they’re currently at and they know there’s more to do. I think we’ll continue to see them improve and am confident in our leaders to bring that out in the team.”
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.