Champion Yellowjackets headline UMAC men's cross country awards

Champion Yellowjackets headline UMAC men's cross country awards

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ST. PAUL, Minn.---Following a thrilling Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) men's cross country championship, 15 student-athletes were recognized with all-conference accolades for their outstanding performances higlighted by individual champion Jackson Lindquist of the University of Wisconsin-Superior. 

Men's Results | Championships Site |

Lindquist outran the rest of the field by nealy 23 seconds completing the 8,000-meter course with a time of 25:43.5 to lead the Yellowjackets to their first-ever men's cross country title. 

Under the direction of Head Coach Glen Drexler, the Yellowjackets picked up an impressive 42 points which was 15 better than runner up Martin Luther College. For his efforts, Drexler was recognized by his peers as the UMAC Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year. 

In addition to Lindquist, 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 Yellowjackets led the pack with three First Team honorees placing all three finishers in the top five. With Second Team recognition, the Yellowjackets had four runners honored. 

Runner up Martin Luther totaled four awards with one finisher in the top seven and three in places eight through 15 for Second Team accolades. 

The College of St. Scholastica had three runners earn either First or Second Team awards, while the University of Minnesota Morris and the University of Northwestern each had one runner per team. 

Northwestern 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 - Jackson Lindquist, Wisconsin-Superior
Coach of the Year - Glen Drexler, Wisconsin-Superior

2016 UMAC Men's Cross Country All-Conference First Team
Place Name School Time Yr. Hometown
1st Jackson Lindquist Wisconsin-Superior 25:43.5 Sr. Esko, Minn.
2nd Chalmer Combellick Minnesota Morris 26:06.2 Sr. Chokio, Minn.
3rd Jacob Gallagher St. Scholastica 26:21.4 Sr.  Lisbon, N.D.
4th Jordan Koski Wisconsin-Superior 26:44.1 Jr. Park Falls, Wis.
5th Harrison Hirsch Wisconsin-Superior 26:46.5 Fy. Vadnais Heights, Minn.
6th Ben Bitter Martin Luther 26:57.7 Fy. Milwaukee, Wis.
7th Jackson Peterson Northwestern 27:00.8 Jr. Carlton, Minn.


2016 UMAC Men's Cross Country All-Conference Second Team
Place Name School Time Yr. Hometown
8th Ryan Gurgel Martin Luther 27:09.5 Fy. Thiensville, Wis.
9th Tyler Sassenberg Minnesota Morris 27:13.0 So. Winthrop, Minn.
10th Justin Wilkens Martin Luther 27:17.6 Jr. Haymarket, Va.
11th Cam Pearson St. Scholastica 27:22.8 Fy. Park Falls, Wis.
12th Wil Maki Northwestern 27:25.8 Jr. Hibbing, Minn.
13th Easton Foss St. Scholastica 27:29.4 So. Pine City, Minn.
14th Darian Schnose Martin Luther 27:30.8 Sr. Tawas City, Mich.
15th Rand Bieri Wisconsin-Superior 27:35.2 So. Cloquet, Minn.

2016 UMAC Men's Cross Country Sportsmanship Awards
Team Award -
 Northwestern
Bethany Lutheran - Lucas Malimanek, Sr., Albert Lea, Minn.
Crown - Andy Taverna, Fy., Sibley, Iowa
Martin Luther - Justin Wilkens, Jr., Haymarket, Va.
Minnesota Morris - Eddie Cease, Fy., Grand Rapids, Minn.
North Central - Daniel Morgenstern, Jr., Apple Valley, Minn.
Northland - Alex Drachenberg, So., San Diego, Calif.
Northwestern - Jackson Peterson, Jr., Carlton, Minn.
St. Scholastica - Jacob Gallagher, Sr., Lisbon, N.D.
Wisconsin-Superior - Clayton Tanner, Fy., Waseca