10-Year Celebration: UMAC Women's Cross Country All-Decade honors
ST. PAUL, Minn.---As part of its 2018-19 "10-Year Celebration," the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) named five individual athletes to the UMAC Women's Cross Country All-Decade Team and selected both Coach of the Decade and Team of the Decade awards, the conference announced Thursday.
The five individuals named to the All-Decade Team include Casey Hovland (St. Scholastica, 2014-2017), Chelsea Johnson (St. Scholastica, 2010-2013), Linda Keller (University of Minnesota Morris, 2009-2012), Katelyn Meger (St. Scholastica, 2008-2009) and Andrea Mogren (St. Scholastica, 2012-2015). The UMAC recognized former College of St. Scholastica head coach Steve Pfingsten as the Coach of the Decade and the 2013 St. Schoalstica squad as the Women's Cross Country Team of the Decade.
All-Decade Team
Casey Hovland, College of St. Scholastica (2014-2017)
Hovland is one of the top performers in St. Scholastica and UMAC history. She won three-consecutive UMAC individual titles for St. Scholastica in 2015, 2016 and 2017. In each of those three seasons she went on top finish in the top 10 at the NCAA Central Region meet to earn All-Region honors and qualify for the NCAA Championship. Hovland earned a All-American finish placing 33rd at the 2016 national meet. She capped off her cross country career winning the NCAA Elite 90 Award* at the 2017 championship for the top GPA among all competitors.
Chelsea Johnson, College of St. Scholastica (2010-2013)
Johnson is the only individual or team in UMAC history to win a national title in the first 10 years of NCAA Division III membership. Her unprecedented season in 2013 saw the senior record a UMAC-record time of 21:33.7 to win the conference championship title. She then won the Central Region meet and was named the Central Region Athlete of the Year. Johnson then earned a 11-second victory at the NCAA meet in Hanover, Indiana, clocking a time of 21:11.7 and was selected as the USTFCCA National Athlete of the Year. Johnson competed in back-to-back NCAA Championships in 2012 and 2013 and earned All-America status in both. She also owns a program-record time for 6,000-meters.
Linda Keller, University of Minnesota Morris (2009-2012)
Keller is the most consistent and decorated performer in the conference's first 10 years as a Division III member. In each of her four seasons, Keller won the UMAC championship and owns the second-fastest time in conference history from 2012 (21:34.5). In addition to her conference success, she won the NCAA Region meet in 2011 and 2012 to be Region Athlete of the Year. She also earned All-Region honors four times and qualified for the NCAA Championship four times. In 2010, 2011 and 2012, Keller placed in the top 20 at the national meet with a seventh-place finish in 2011. She also owns a program-record time for 6,000-meters.
Katelyn Meger, College of St. Scholastica (2008-2009)
In just two seasons, Meger made a significant impact on the St. Scholastica cross country team that dominated the UMAC to start the NCAA Division III era. In 2008, Meger won the UMAC individual meet title and finished her career with two All-UMAC finishes. In both 2008 and 2009 she raced to All-Region finishes to qualify for the NCAA Championship. Meger ended her career as the 2009 recipient of the NCAA Elite 88 Award* for the top GPA among all competitors.
Andrea Mogren, College of St. Scholastica (2012-2015)
Mogren was a part of three UMAC championship-winning St. Scholastica squads (2012, 2013, 2015). In each of her four years, Mogren earned All-UMAC honors and placed third or better three times including a runner-up finish in 2013. She was the team's top performer at the UMAC meet in 2014. Twice Mogren earned All-Region finishes and currently holds the fifth fastest 6,00-meter time at St. Scholastica.
Coach of The Decade
Steve Pfingsten, College of St. Scholastica
Pfingsten served as the Saints' women's cross country coach from 1997-2015 and earned 13 UMAC Coach of the Year honors during that time. He guided the Saints to seven UMAC team titles from 2008-2015 and coached Hovland, Johnson and Meger to individual titles. The 2013 squad led by Pfingsten recorded the lowest team score in the 10-year NCAA Division III era (20 points).
Team of The Decade
College of St. Scholastica, 2013
St. Scholastica recorded the second-lowest point total in the NCAA Division III era (19) to capture the 2013 UMAC Championship. The Saints had all seven runners earn All-UMAC finishes with three placing in the top four. During the season, the Saints captured two team meet victories and went on to record a program second-best fifth-place finish at the NCAA Central Region meet. Team members included Bre Adams, Liz Braml, Molly Burgstahler, Margaret Butler, Sam Dills, Taylor Gibson, Alyssa Johnson, Chelsea Johnson, Chelsea L. Johnson, Jordan Johnson, Emily Lundgren, Emily Martin, Magan McCusker, Maggie Moe, Andrea Mogren, Emma Myles, Karli Niemann, Bailey Opsal, Tracy Perish, Izzy Platenberg, Maggie Quinn, Kim Rice, Megan Riley, Nikki Roach, Berlin Sohn, Jenna Thomforde, Maria Trescony and Elle Ubl. Head coach was Steve Pfingsten.
*The NCAA Elite 88 Award was later renamed the Elite 90 Award and reflects the number of NCAA championships recognized.
Throughout 2018-19, the UMAC will recognize individual athletes and one coach for each conference sport on All-Decade Teams and name one team as Team of the Decade. Individuals and teams were nominated by UMAC full and associate member institutions and the teams were selected by a committee of administrators and coaches from the UMAC. The All-Decade recognition is part of the UMAC "10-Year Celebration" commemorating the first 10 years of NCAA Division III membership for the UMAC.
All-Decade Team Archives
"10-Year Celebration" Page