Cougars take top UMAC women's cross country honors

Cougars take top UMAC women's cross country honors

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ST. PAUL, Minn.---The 2019 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) women's cross country championship saw its most competitive finish in the NCAA Division III era (since 2008) for the conference as the College of St. Scholastica outraced the University of Minnesota Morris by just two points, giving the Saints a fifth-straight title Saturday.

Both teams now headline the postseason awards as each squad had four individuals earn all-conference accolades. However, the runner-up Cougars took the top two awards as McKenna Langerud was the individual medalist with a time of 23:59.8, while head coach Tony Krueger was selected Coach of the Year by the conference coaches.

Women's Results | Championship Site |

Krueger's Cougars tallied 54 points behind the Saints' 54, but had its top four individuals finish in the top eight to earn All-UMAC First Team honors. All four Cougars also finished the 6,000-meter course in under 25 minutes.

The champion Saints had a total of four individuals recognized for all conference with three on the Second Team. A total of 16 UMAC student-athletes were recognized for their finishes in Superior, Wisconsin, Saturday. All-UMAC First Team honors were awarded to the top eight finishers while the next eight were honored with All-UMAC Second Team nods. 

In addition to the Saints and Cougars, Bethany Lutheran College and the University of Wisconsin-Superior each had multiple individuals recognized with All-UMAC honors. The Vikings had two finishers on Second Team, while the Yellowjackets had three. Crown College, Martin Luther College and Northland College each had one runner who earned All-UMAC First Team.

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. 

2019 Individual Champion - McKenna Langerud, Minnesota Morris
Coach of the Year - Tony Krueger, Minnesota Morris

2018 UMAC Women's Cross Country All-Conference First Team
Place Name School Time Yr. Hometown
1st McKenna Langerud Minnesota Morris 23:59.8 Fy. East Grand Forks, Minn./East Grand Forks
2nd Abbe Dufault Crown 24:12.1 Fy. Waseca, Minn./Waseca
3rd Nicole Gilman St. Scholastica 24:222.5 Sr. Manitowish Waters, Wis./Lakeland Union
4th Kaitlyn Ladwig Minnesota Morris 24:32.2 Jr. Granite Falls, Minn./Yellow Medicine East
5th Abigail Buege Martin Luther 24:42.2 Fy. Katy, Texas/Luther Prep
6th Raene Loiselle Northland 24:43.7 Jr. Dousman, Wis.
7th Alexa Yeager Minnesota Morris 24:44.4 Jr. Clearwater, Minn./Monticello
8th Paige Stearns Minnesota Morris 24:44.8 Jr. Woodbury, Minn./East Ridge


2018 UMAC Women's Cross Country All-Conference Second Team
Place Name School Time Yr. Hometown
9th Leah Dutkewych St. Scholastica 24:48.6 Fy. Jefferson, N.H./White Mountain
10th Lexi Erickson St. Scholastica 24:57.4 Jr. International Falls, Minn./Falls
11th Sarah Presler Bethany Lutheran 25:12.7 Jr. Brandon, S.D./Brandon Valley
12th Emma Stertz St. Scholastica 25:14.9 Fy. Grand Rapids, Minn./Grand Rapids
13th Haruka Hamanaka Wisconsin-Superior 25:16.8 Jr. Izumisano, Japan/Kishiwada
14th Roz Larson Wisconsin-Superior 25:35.9 So. Ashland, Wis./Ashland
15th Nicole Koski Wisconsin-Superior 25:38.0 So. Park Falls, Wis./Chequamegon
16th Cianna Hoppe Bethany Lutheran 25:39.1 Fy. Lewiston, Minn./Luther

2019 UMAC Women's Cross Country Sportsmanship Awards
Team Award -
 Bethany Lutheran
Bethany Lutheran - Gabby Baker, Sr., Hillsboro, Ore./Evergreen Lutheran
Crown - Lynnea Asp, So., Waterville, Minn./Waterville-Elysian-Morristown
Martin Luther - Emily Brand, Sr., Anoka, Minn./Anoka
Minnesota Morris - Montana Lawrence, Jr., Princeton, Minn./Princeton
North Central - Raen Barcelon, Sr., Kodiak, Alaska/Kodiak
Northland - Annalee Mott, Fy., St. Paul, Minn.
Northwestern - Karee Joedeman, So., Litchfield, Minn./Litchfield
St. Scholastica - Lexi Erickson, Jr., International Falls, Minn./Falls
Wisconsin-Superior - Haruka Hamanaka, Jr., Izumisano, Japan/Kishiwada