UMAC Men's Cross Country awards headlined by champion Yellowjackets
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 highlighted by individual champion Evan Walpole of the University of Wisconsin-Superior.
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Men's Results |
Championship Site |
Walpole broke away late in the race to take the title by 17 seconds completing the 8,000-meter course with a time of 26:10.0 to lead the Yellowjackets to their second-consecutive men's cross country title.
Under the direction of Head Coach Glen Drexler, the Yellowjackets picked up an impressive 40 points which was 16 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 Walpole, 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 six honorees finishing in the top 15 and two in the top seven. Rand Bieri and Harrison Hirsch were both repeat All-UMAC finishers this season.
Runner up Martin Luther totaled three awards with all of those placing in the top 10 and repeating as all-conference runners. Ben Bitter led the Knights as the overall runner-up.
The College of St. Scholastica also had three runners earn either First or Second Team awards and were led by Isaac Boedigheimer in third. Easton Foss and Cam Pearson were also repeat All-UMAC honorees.
The University of Minnesota Morris took fourth as a team thanks to two finishers earning Second Team. Jackson Peterson of the University of Northwestern also was represented against this year in the top 15.
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.
2017 Individual Champion - Evan Walpole, Wisconsin-Superior
Coach of the Year - Glen Drexler, Wisconsin-Superior
2017 UMAC Men's Cross Country All-Conference First Team
| Place |
Name |
School |
Time |
Yr. |
Hometown |
| 1st |
Evan Walpole |
Wisconsin-Superior |
26:10.0 |
Sr. |
Superior, Wis. |
| 2nd |
Ben Bitter |
Martin Luther |
26:17.2 |
So. |
Milwaukee, Wis. |
| 3rd |
Isaac Boedigheimer |
St. Scholastica |
26:19.5 |
Fy.. |
Cloquet, Minn. |
| 4th |
Ryan Gurgel |
Martin Luther |
26:30.2 |
So. |
Thiensville, Wis. |
| 5th |
Easton Foss |
St. Scholastica |
26:35.3 |
Jr. |
Pine City, Minn. |
| 6th |
Rand Bieri |
Wisconsin-Superior |
26:43.2 |
Jr. |
Cloquet, Minn. |
| 7th |
Justin Wilkens |
Martin Luther |
27:12.6 |
Sr. |
Haymarket, Va. |
2017 UMAC Men's Cross Country All-Conference Second Team
| Place |
Name |
School |
Time |
Yr. |
Hometown |
| 8th |
Sam Smith |
Wisconsin-Superior |
27:17.2 |
Fy. |
Stevens Point, Wis. |
| 9th |
Jackson Peterson |
Northwestern |
27:19.4 |
Sr. |
Carlton, Minn. |
| 10th |
David Roanhorse |
Minnesota Morris |
27:20.9 |
Jr. |
Sanders, Ky. |
| 11th |
Cam Pearson |
St. Scholastica |
27:22.3 |
So. |
Park Falls, Wis. |
| 12th |
Raymond Abraham |
Minnesota Morris |
27:25.3 |
So. |
Cambridge, Minn. |
| 13th |
Alex Binfet |
Wisconsin-Superior |
27:29.3 |
Fy. |
Balsam Lake, Wis. |
| 14th |
Harrison Hirsch |
Wisconsin-Superior |
27:29.3 |
So. |
Vadnais Heights, Minn. |
| 15th |
Zachary Mazurek |
Wisconsin-Superior |
27:38.7 |
Jr. |
Bessemer, Mich. |
2017 UMAC Men's Cross Country Sportsmanship Awards
Team Award - Martin Luther
Bethany Lutheran - Stefan Prince, So., Prior Lake, Minn.
Crown - Michael Elmhorst, Sr. Paynesville, Minn.
Martin Luther - Justin Wilkens, Sr., Haymarket, Va.
Minnesota Morris - Ray Abraham, So., Cambridge, Minn.
North Central - Kaleb Gunderson, Jr., Apple Valley, Minn.
Northland - Andy Kasun, Sr., Delafield, Wis.
Northwestern - Dillon Clark, Sr. Plainview, Minn.
St. Scholastica - Easton Foss, Jr., Pine City, Minn.
Wisconsin-Superior - Aaron Gehrke, Fy., Phillips, Wis.