UMAC Men's Cross Country Championships ready for close finish Saturday
ST. PAUL, Minn.---Following a competitive season of competition this fall, the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) men’s cross country season will wrap up in exciting fashion Saturday as all nine squads will look to capture the conference title at the UMAC Championship at the Benson Country Club in Benson, Minnesota.
A year ago, the College of St. Scholastica narrowly edged out newcomer University of Wisconsin-Superior to capture its seventh-straight UMAC title. This year’s race could provide much of the same intrigue.
In 2015, St. Scholastica won by a margin of five points despite Wisconsin-Superior being the favorite heading into the race. Then, at the NCAA Central Region Meet, the Yellowjackets outran their bridge rival to a 12th-place team finish while the Saints placed 14th.
Though both teams lost their front-runners from a year ago, they both return a healthy roster of veterans who should help make for an intensely close individual race to the finish line.
The Yellowjackets – who were heavy favorites in the Preseason Coaches’ Poll – will be without UMAC champion and All-American runner Charles Corbett who led the team to success last season. They do have the return of Jackson Lindquist and a strong supporting cast who have led the team to strong finishes all fall long.
This season, Lindquist has won two UMAC Runner of the Week awards including for his most recent finish – a clocking of 25:27 at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh meet to place 18th in a field of the top runner from the region. His time is the fastest in the UMAC this season. The senior was third at the conference meet a year ago and should be positioned to capture first following his solid fall.
Victory won’t come easy for Lindquist, though, as he has exchanged places with the Saints’ Jacob Gallagher as the top UMAC runner throughout meets this season. Gallagher has also won two weekly awards and placed seventh at the Carleton College Pre-Region meet and clocked a season-best time of 26:04 at the Wisconsin-Oshkosh meet.
Both teams have others who add depth to both rosters. The Yellowjackets have seen a spectacular junior campaign from All-UMAC Jordan Koski who was fifth last year. He owns a season-best time of 26:35. Returner Rand Bieri has had a strong sophomore season, while first-year Harrison Hirsch has made a huge impact and owns a top time of 27:16.
St. Scholastica has seen returner Easton Foss and newcomer Cam Pearson push each other throughout the season as both have added depth at spots two and three on the team behind Gallagher. Foss ran 27:39 at the Wisconsin-Oshkosh outing and Pearson clocked 27:44 at Carleton.
Martin Luther College was slated to repeat with a third-place finish this year, but they could give St. Scholastica a run for their money after placing ahead of the Saints at the St. Olaf College event. The Knights have a cast of characters who have exchanged the role of top-finisher throughout the fall. Darien Schnose was ninth last season, while Justin Wilkens was 15th and boasts strong times. First-year Ben bitter was Runner of the Week after leading the team at Lawrence University with a time of 26:33. Ryan Gurgel has also been in the mix at the top of the team.
The University of Minnesota Morris was fifth in the standings a year ago, but were picked fourth and just one point behind the Knights in the preseason voting. The Cougars will need a solid performance from star Chalmer Combellick who was the runner-up in 2015. The senior owns a season-best time of 26:40 and was Runner of the Week to open the season. Tyler Sassenberg will also help the Cougars push for third place.
The University of Northwestern was slated for fifth and should make its way there behind the lead of Jackson Peterson who placed 13th last year and was the top UMAC finisher at the University of Minnesota Roy Griak meet this year earning him Runner of the Week honors. Wil Maki was also 10th at the Championships last year and should help the Eagles to a strong finish.
Bethany Lutheran College was picked just eight points behind the Eagles in sixth in the Preseason Poll. The Vikingshave felt the loss of All-UMAC runner and former champion Owen Richardson, but they’ve had successful runs from David Luehring who will look to lead the team Saturday.
Northland College and North Central University were within one point in the poll for seventh and eighth, while Crown College was ninth. Kaleb Gunderson was 26th in 2015 as has led North Central all fall, while Alec Drachenberg placed in the top 50 for Northland last season and continues to lead. Crown has had three consistent runners at the top with Ian Gilligan showing promise.
Both the men’s and women’s championship races will take place this Saturday, Oct. 29 in Benson. The men’s race is set to begin at 12 p.m. followed by the women’s race at 1 p.m. All championship information can be found on the
championships website.