The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference has announced that Gustavus Adolphus women’s cross country head coach Scott Jerome has been named the conference’s coach of the year. It is the second time in Jerome’s four years at Gustavus that he has been named the conference’s women’s cross country coach of the year. The last time was in 2001.
Last Saturday, Jerome coached the Gusties to their first-ever MIAC Championship. The Gusties placed first out of 12 teams at the competition held in Como Park in St. Paul on November 1. The squad won with 68 points, 12 points in front of second-place St. Olaf.
Jerome coached three all-conference performers this season; Nichole Petersen, Jen Skalko, and Tasha Pike. This is the first time in the program’s history that three runners have earned all-conference honors in the same year. The Gusties’ previous best team finish was second in 2001. Last year, the squad placed fourth at the conference championships.
Head Coach Scott Jerome’s team will continue its season at the NCAA Midwest Regional hosted by Grinnell College on November 15 in Grinnell, Iowa. At that meet, the Gusties will have a chance to qualify for the NCAA National Championships. Last season, Gustavus missed qualifying for the national meet by one point.