Champion Saints lead UMAC Women's Cross Country awards
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 highlighted by individual champion Casey Hovland of the College of St. Scholastica.
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Women's Results |
Championship Site |
Hovland became just the second female in conference history to win three or more consecutive titles. For the second year in a row, Hovland outpaced the field by nearly two minutes. The senior completed the 6,000-meter course with a time of 21:52.0 to lead the Saints to their third-consecutive UMAC team title.
Under the direction of Head Coach Chad Salmela, the Saints picked up an impressive 25 points which was 49 better than runner up University of Minnesota Morris. For his efforts, Salmela 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 plus an additional sixth. Hovland and Nicole Gilman were also the Saints' repeat honorees on the All-UMAC squad.
Runner up Minnesota Morris totaled three awards with Katherine Novak in the top seven and two in places eight through 15 for Second Team accolades. The University of Wisconsin-Superior placed third with three finishers in the top 15 including Kelli Praska who was the runner-up for the second time in three years.
Bethany Lutheran College, Crown College and Martin Luther College each had one individual place in the top 15 to earn All-UMAC honors. Crown sophomore Mackenzie Nelson earned her second-straight all-conference nod placing fourth overall.
Bethany Lutheran 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 - Casey Hovland, St. Scholastica
Coach of the Year - Chad Salmela, St. Scholastica
2017 UMAC Women's Cross Country All-Conference First Team
| Place |
Name |
School |
Time |
Yr. |
Hometown |
| 1st |
Casey Hovland |
St. Scholastica |
21:52.0 |
Sr. |
North Branch, Minn. |
| 2nd |
Kelli Praska |
Wisconsin-Superior |
23:44.8 |
Jr. |
Eagan, Minn. |
| 3rd |
Nicole Gilman |
St. Scholastica |
23:55.6 |
So. |
Manitowish Waters, Wis. |
| 4th |
Mackenzie Nelson |
Crown |
24:08.1 |
So. |
Gig Harbor, Wash. |
| 5th |
Katherine Novak |
Minnesota Morris |
24:25.1 |
Jr. |
Champlin, Minn.. |
| 6th |
Elizabeth Poskie |
St. Scholastica |
24:35.9 |
So. |
Cotton, Minn. |
| 7th |
Lauren Dynek |
St. Scholastica |
24:49.8 |
Fy. |
Duluth, Minn. |
2017 UMAC Women's Cross Country All-Conference Second Team
| Place |
Name |
School |
Time |
Yr. |
Hometown |
| 8th |
Katelynn Gullickson |
St. Scholastica |
24:52.1 |
So. |
Oakdale, Minn. |
| 9th |
Sarah Presler |
Bethany Lutheran |
24:53.5 |
Fy. |
Brandon, S.D. |
| 10th |
Elisabeth Anderson |
Minnesota Morris |
25:00.7 |
Sr. |
Bloomer, Wis. |
| 11th |
Brynn Gellner |
Minnesota Morris |
25:06.7 |
Sr. |
Plymouth, Minn. |
| 12th |
Leah Miller |
Martin Luther |
25:09.9 |
Fy. |
Maryville, Tenn. |
| 13th |
Alaina Manthey |
Wisconsin-Superior |
25:11.5 |
Jr. |
Zimmerman, Minn. |
| 14th |
Heidi Carlson |
St. Scholastica |
25:11.8 |
Sr. |
Roseville, Minn. |
| 15th |
Mathea Brink |
Wisconsin-Superior |
25:15.5 |
So. |
Rochester, Minn. |
2017 UMAC Women's Cross Country Sportsmanship Awards
Team Award - Bethany Lutheran
Bethany Lutheran - Anna Lieske, Jr., Mankato, Minn.
Crown - Hannah Myers, Sr., Remer, Minn.
Martin Luther - Sydney Cody, Jr., Juneau, Wis.
Minnesota Morris - Arre Langer, Jr., Pierz, Minn.
North Central - Taylor Novak, Jr., Minot, N.D.
Northland - Sarah Jorgensen, So., Mequon, Wis.
Northwestern - McKenzie Olson, So., Monticello, Minn.
St. Scholastica - Casey Hovland, Sr., North Branch, Minn.
Wisconsin-Superior - Taylor Joyal, Jr., Saginaw, Mich.