SAINT PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus Adolphus College men’s and women’s cross country teams are set to compete at the 2015 NCAA Division III Central Region Championships being held on Saturday at Central College in Pella, Iowa. The women’s race will begin at 11 a.m. with the men’s race to follow at 12:30 p.m.
The Gustie men enter regional competition coming off another improved performance at this season’s MIAC Championships on Oct. 31. After finishing seventh in 2013 and sixth last season, the Gusties improved to a fifth place standing with a score of 109 this season. Gustavus also found itself a mere 13 points behind second place finisher Saint John’s University, which scored a 96.
Evan Jones (Jr., Pella, Iowa) led the Gusties for the first time all season, as he grabbed all-conference honors with a ninth place finish after crossing the finish line in 26.28.5, a personal best time. Thomas Knobbe (Jr., Decorah, Iowa) was next and also took home all-conference honors after placing 13th with a time of 26:40.0.
Carston Dammann (So., Lake City, Minn.) was third for the Gusties and earned all-conference honorable mention honors with a 21st place finish after crossing the line in 26:51.1. Paul Nordquist (Sr., Edina, Minn.) was right behind him with a 22nd place finish, also good for all-conference honorable, crossing the finish line in 26:57.2. Marcus Speca (Sr., Minnetonka, Minn.) rounded out the Gustie scoring with a time of 27:56.0, good for 44th place.
“Simply put, the goal is to qualify for nationals,” said Knobbe. “We believe we have the quality and resolve to beat the teams we lost to at conference, and even snag a bid to the big dance.”
The Gustie women head into the regional meet after posting a sixth place finish at the MIAC Championships for the second consecutive season. The Gusties scored a 150, and were led by seniors Marit Sonnesyn (Plymouth, Minn.) and Laruen Shurson (Chanhassen, Minn.). Sonnesyn took home all-conference honors with a time of 23:18.8, good for 13th place. Shurson was right behind her in 16th, crossing the line in 23:25.9, which qualified her for all-conference honorable mention.
Sadie Novak-Klug (So., Waseca, Minn.) was third for the Gusties, running a time of 24:20.3, which put her in 30th place. Lydia Hayes (So., Decorah, Iowa) followed Novak-Klug with a 45th place finish, crossing the line in 24:42.6, while Lotus Schifsky (Fy., Prescott, Wis.) was right behind her in 46th, rounding out the Gustie scoring with a time of 24:42.9.
“Our goal for the region meet is to beat some of those teams that were ahead of us at the MIAC meet,” said Sonnesyn. “We have the talent and have put in the training to beat schools like Macalester and Saint Benedict. Now it’s important that each girl on the team takes care of the little things to be ready for Saturday, such as getting enough sleep, eating right, and staying hydrated. If each of us does those things, we’ll have set ourselves up for a great team performance on Saturday.”
The Gustavus men’s team will look to improve upon its 10th place finish at the region meet in 2014, which was also held at Central. The Gusties will look to lean on experience, as they return each of their top-five runners from last season’s meet, and those same five have led Gustavus in each meet so far this season.
The Gustavus women’s team also placed 10th in last season’s regional meet, and similar to the men, return much of its nucleus from last season. Shurson is the Gusties’ top finisher from that squad, as she took home a 33rd place finish after running a 22:50.7. Emily Sands (So., Rochester, Minn.), Mata Agre (Sr., Edina, Minn.), Courtney Branch (Sr., Minnetonka, Minn.), Olivia Rosenow (So., Maple Grove, Minn.), and Stephanie Welke (Jr., Tomahawk, Wis.), also all return and rounded out the Gustie lineup last year.
Central has set up a website to help fans follow the 2015 NCAA Division III Central Region Cross Country Championships. For course maps and descriptions, general meet information, spectator information, and a list of teams, please click the link to the meet website.