Photo courtesy of Kirk Hardcastle, NIACC.
WAVERLY, Iowa – The Gustavus men’s cross country team traveled to Wartburg Saturday for the Dan Huston Invitational where the Gusties finished fifth of 17 teams.
“Weather and course conditions were difficult today,” said Head Coach Brenden Huber. “A lightning delay pushed the start times back, mud covered stretches on the course, and it was cold, windy, and rainy throughout both races. That being said, I thought we competed great. Times were slow, which we knew would happen, but we talked prior to the race about competing out best.”
Andrew Stumbo (Jr., Boone, Iowa) was the teams top finisher, taking 23rd place with a time of 26:59.7, while Garet Grant (So., Winona) followed shortly after him in 34th with a time of 27:22.2. Jeremy Gilbertson (Jr., Maple Grove), Ben Wicklund (So., Marine on St. Croix), and Nick Kerbeshian (Jr., Plymouth) rounded out the top-5 for the Gusties finishing in 44th, 45th and 51st, respectively, with times of 27:37.7, 27:38.3, and 27:41.3.
“Everyone stepped up to the challenge and didn’t let the conditions influence their efforts,” said Huber. “We had Gusties executing wonderfully on both sides against a really deep field. I think we took another step forward today and gained confidence for the next step. I am really happy with our efforts.”
The Gusties will next be in action when they head to UW-La Crosse on Oct. 19.