University of Wisconsin-Superior tops UMAC Men's Cross Country Preseason Poll
2015 UMAC Men’s Cross Country Coaches’ Poll
1. 58 Points – University of Wisconsin-Superior (5 First Place Votes)
2. 55 Points – College of St. Scholastica (4)
3. 50 Points – Martin Luther College
4. 41 Points – Bethany Lutheran College
5. 37 Points – University of Minnesota-Morris
6. 30 Points – University of Northwestern
7. 20 Points – Northland College
8. 18 Points – North Central University
9. 15 Points – Crown College
ST. PAUL – The newest member to the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC), the University of Wisconsin-Superior, took this year’s top spot in the preseason coaches’ poll. The Yellowjackets tallied five first place votes for a total of 58 points, while the College of St. Scholastica came in just three points behind taking second with four first place votes and a total of 55 points. Martin Luther landed the third spot on the list with 41 points.
1. University of Wisconsin-Superior
2014 UMAC Finish: N/A
Runners Returning: 9
Runners Lost: 2
For years the Yellowjacket men’s cross country team has been on an upward trajectory. First and foremost was the move out of the cellar of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, followed by record-high finishes in the NCAA Midwest Region, a region loaded with perennial heavyweights. The move upward could continue in 2015. Not only will the Yellowjackets welcome back a veteran-laden squad, but with the move to the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference, the team also shifts from the NCAA Midwest Region to the NCAA Central Region, a shift that could put the Yellowjackets in an even better position on the national stage.
Leading the way for the Yellowjackets is senior Charles Corbett. Two years ago, Scott Behling was named All-Midwest Region and was just on the outside-looking-in as an NCAA qualifier. Last season it was Corbett’s turn, as the junior placed 30
th in the region, good enough for All-Midwest Region honors but not quite enough to qualify for the national meet. Corbett has run the sixth-fastest time in school history on an 8,000-meter course and is poised to crack the top five as a senior. Joining Corbett among the returners are Jackson Lindquist, who also had a sub-26 minute season best in 2014 and up-and-coming sophomore Jordan Koski.
2. College of St. Scholastica
2014 UMAC Finish: 1st
Runners Returning: 10
Runners Lost: 4
The St. Scholastica men’s cross country team has won six straight UMAC Championships and are led by senior Chris Lawson, who became the first male runner in school history to compete at the NCAA Division III Championships last fall. At those championships, Lawson set a program record with an 8k time of 25:19.
Including Lawson, CSS returns its top seven runners from last season. Fellow seniors Luke McKenzie, Tim Dunstan and Vic Pilon, along with juniors Jacob Gallagher, Josh Trosen and Adam Wallenta are all back.
Newcomer Easton Foss from Pine City will look to figure into the team scoring this season. Head Coach Steve Pfingsten enters his 24
th season for the Saints.
3. Martin Luther College
2014 UMAC Finish: 2nd
Runners Returning: 7
Runners Lost: 0
The Martin Luther College men’s cross country team returns all its top runners from the 2014 team that finished second at least season’s UMAC Championships.
Four MLC runners earned All-UMAC honors with top 12 finishes last season. Senior Grey Davis returns to lead the team after taking second at last year’s conference meet. He will be joined by junior Darian Schnose (sixth), as well as sophomores Justin Wilkens (seventh) and Jonathan Fleishmann (12
th) as returners coming off all-conference seasons. Wilkens and Davis paced the team for much of last season, and are among the fastest runners in program history, while Schnose and Fleishmann were among the top underclassmen in the conference a season ago.
A strong group of newcomers will join the experienced runners at the top of the line-up. Josh Brands, Jacob Melso and Jessie Rider are three of the top incoming freshman hoping to push the incumbents for a spot in the line-up.
4. Bethany Lutheran College
2014 UMAC Finish: 3rd
Runners Returning: 7
Runners Lost: 1
The 2015 Men’s Cross Country team will be under new direction, led by first year head coach Michael Dunn, who brings to the Vikings a great deal of coaching experience along with a vision to help each student-athlete find their passion and strengths. The team has seen steady improvement in recent years. The Vikings turned in a third place showing at last season's UMAC Cross Country Championship. Taking big strides in a positive direction is the key for the Vikings in 2015.
One member of the strong returning core is Owen Richardson who will be returning for his junior season. Richardson won the individual conference championship last season and earned All-UMAC honors for the second consecutive year. Other top performers who will return to the Vikings include Lucas Malimanek, Nic Bruss, Zach Dantzman, Timoth Krause, David Luehring, Mike Lendt, and Carl Wold.
New to the roster this year will be freshman Michael Bless who will look to make an immediate impact on the team this year.
5. University of Minnesota-Morris
2014 UMAC Finish: 5th
Runners Returning: 5
Runners Lost: 0
The Cougars return nearly everyone from last season including their top runners. Declan McCrory is the top returner this year. The team should have most of their top runners from last year returning.
In addition, newly appointed head coach Tony Kruger is excited about a couple freshman who will join the team this fall.
6. University of Northwestern
2014 UMAC Finish: 4th
Runners Returning: 6
Runners Lost: 1
Northwestern enters the 2015 season with almost identical rosters from last year. Sophomores Wil Maki and Jackson Peterson return this year, earning UMAC all conference awards last fall for their stand out performances. Maki and Peterson were among the top 12 individual finishers in the conference finale to earn all-conference honors. Maki's time of 28:28 on the 8k course in Hermantown, Minn. was good enough for eighth place on Saturday, while Peterson was three spots behind, in 11th, with a season-best time of 28:40.
Garrison Crown and Garrick Spennewyn are two newcomers who should make an impact for the Eagles.
7. Northland College
2014 UMAC Finish: 6th
Runners Returning: 4
Runners Lost: 2
Northland College Men's Cross Country is anticipating a thrilling season. First year head coach Peter Macky is focusing on rebuilding and expanding the team, which will be led by core returners Louis Corcoran and Jake Huss.
The Lumber Jacks will be building a strong future with the addition of newcomers Alec Drachenberg and August Franzen. The team also welcomes back key members, sophomores Ben DeVore, and Andy Kasun.
8. North Central University
2014 UMAC Finish: 7th
Runners Returning: 2
Runners Lost: 3
North Central is going through a youth movement in 2015 as the team will have no seniors and just two returners from a team who finished seventh at the conference meet in 2015. The Rams will return a pair from their top five while adding some new talent to the mix as the team looks to gain competitive experience at the college level.
North Central lost its top two athletes to graduation while another is taking the semester off with national guard duties. That leaves a pair of sophomores in Dan Morgenstern and Aaron Cooke as the top returning runners after they each battled for the fourth and fifth spots last season. The Rams will add a talented freshman, Kaleb Gunderson, who was consistently in the top three for Eastview (Minn.) high school last season. After taking his first two years of college off from running, junior Jimmy Hultengren will offer the Rams some experience after being a varsity runner at Mankato West during his high school career.
Overall, the Rams will look to use 2015 as a year to build momentum in a young roster and gain experience for what could be a competitive squad in the next several years.
9. Crown College
2014 UMAC Finish: 8th
Runners Returning: 5
Runners Lost: 0
The Crown college men return everyone from last year’s squad and pick up a member who was away from Crown for a year. Michael Elmhorst and Breier Sanders paced the squad last season and look to repeat their performances this year.
Joshua Coleman was away from Crown last year and is back on the squad. During his freshman year Joshua was the number two runner for Crown. These three runners will be looked at to set the tone on the season.