Champion Saints lead UMAC women's cross country award winners
ST. PAUL, Minn.---Following a thrilling Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) women's cross country championship, 15 student-athletes were recognized with all-conference accolades for their outstanding performances higlighted by individual champion Casey Hovland of the College of St. Scholastica.
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Women's Results |
Championships Site |
Hovland repeated as conference champion by outpacing the rest of the field by nearly two minutes. The junior completed the 6,000-meter course with a time of 21:49.3 to lead the Saints to their second-consecutive UMAC team title.
Under the direction of Head Coach Chad Samela, the Saints picked up an impressive 27 points which was 47 better than runner up University of Minnesota Morris. For his efforts, first-year coach Samela was recognized by his peers as the UMAC Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year.
In addition to Hovland, 14 other UMAC student-athletes were recognized for their finishes in Benson, Minnesota, Saturday. All-UMAC First Team honors were awarded to the top seven finishers while the next eight were honored with All-UMAC Second Team nods.
The Saints led the group with all five scoring runners earning First Team or Second Team honors. With Hovland leading, the Saints finished 1-2-3 in the individual standings.
Runner up Minnesota Morris totaled three awards with two finishers in the top seven and one in places eight through 15 for Second Team accolades. Bethany Lutheran College placed third with three finishers in the top 15. One Viking was First Team while two others were Second Team.
The University of Wisconsin-Superior had two individuals honored with one on the First Team and one on the Second Team. The University of Northwestern and Crown College each had one runner named Second Team.
Martin Luther won the team sportsmanship award, an accolade that is selected by the UMAC coaches and awarded to the team that best represents sportsmanship throughout the entire season, including the championship event. Each team also had one representative named to the individual sportsmanship award list.
2016 Individual Champion - Casey Hovland, St. Scholastica
Coach of the Year - Chad Samela, St. Scholastica
2016 UMAC Women's Cross Country All-Conference First Team
| Place |
Name |
School |
Time |
Yr. |
Hometown |
| 1st |
Casey Hovland |
St. Scholastica |
21:49.3 |
Jr. |
North Branch, Minn. |
| 2nd |
Jordan Johnson |
St. Scholastica |
23:47.5 |
Sr. |
Poplar, Wis. |
| 3rd |
Emily Gilman |
St. Scholastica |
23:39.9 |
Fy. |
Manitowish Waters, Wis. |
| 4th |
Elisabeth Anderson |
Minnesota Morris |
24:00.8 |
Jr. |
Bloomer, Wis. |
| 5th |
Megan Sauer |
Bethany Lutheran |
24:02.1 |
Sr. |
Lissmore, Minn. |
| 6th |
Kelli Praska |
Wisconsin-Superior |
24:05.8 |
So. |
Eagan, Minn. |
| 7th |
Hannah Goemann |
Minnesota Morris |
24:18.1 |
Jr. |
Wells, Minn. |
2016 UMAC Women's Cross Country All-Conference Second Team
| Place |
Name |
School |
Time |
Yr. |
Hometown |
| 8th |
Kelsey Dickinson |
St. Scholastica |
24:22.4 |
Jr. |
Winthrop, Wash. |
| 9th |
Claire Sulflow |
Northwestern |
24:32.0 |
Fy. |
Montivideo, Minn. |
| 10th |
Katherine Novak |
Minnesota Morris |
24:41.2 |
So. |
Champlin, Minn. |
| 11th |
Alyssa Boyhtari |
Wisconsin-Superior |
24:42.6 |
Jr. |
Duluth, Minn. |
| 12th |
Morgan Sauer |
Bethany Lutheran |
24:45.3 |
So. |
Lissmore, Minn. |
| 13th |
Kali Erickson |
St. Scholastica |
24:55.1 |
Jr. |
Duluth, Minn. |
| 14th |
Lydia Hildebrandt |
Bethany Lutheran |
25:05.0 |
Fy. |
Mountain Lake, Minn. |
| 15th |
Mackenzie Nelson |
Crown |
25:11.0 |
Fy. |
Gig Harbor, Wash. |
2016 UMAC Women's Cross Country Sportsmanship Awards
Team Award - Martin Luther
Bethany Lutheran - Megan Sauer, Sr., Lissmore, Minn.
Crown - Elizabeth Kern, Jr., Arlington, Wash.
Martin Luther - Tessa Heiling, Sr., Redwood Falls, Minn.
Minnesota Morris - Hannah Goemann, Jr., Wells, Minn.
North Central - Hannah Foster, Jr., Roseville, Minn.
Northland - Marley Pietz, So., New Ulm, Minn.
Northwestern - Lisa Greenslade, Sr., Pine Island, Minn.
St. Scholastica - Elizabeth Poskie, Fy., Cotton, Minn.
Wisconsin-Superior - Jess Irvine, Sr., Spooner, Wis.