Men's results
Women's results
WAVERLY – Battling through a windy, blustery and rainy day at the Max Cross Country Course, Grinnell College’s men and Luther College’s women earned 2010 NCAA Division III Central Region team titles Nov. 13.
The Pioneer men, adding to their 14th consecutive Midwest Conference crown of two weeks ago, produced a sound 57-point total, besting the field by 36 points. Luther, the Iowa Conference champions, took second at 133 to join Grinnell as an automatic qualifier to the 2010 NCAA Division III Championships.
“Our guys are stepping up at each meet,” Grinnell head coach Will Freeman said. “When we lost (Dan) Krause, our top runner coming into the year, there was a question about how the job would get done. However, our guys just came together. I’m so proud of them.”
The University of St. Thomas’ Ben Sathre was the men’s individual champion. He held off Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference foe Devin Monson of Hamline (24:56 flat to 25:05 flat) by six seconds.
“I wanted to make sure I kept a steady cadence today,” Sathre said. “I loved the course. It has some great straightaways where you can build up speed, and the rolling hills are good, too.”
“I just have to do the little things to get fully healed up and ready to compete,” Monson said looking ahead to nationals. “I feel a little more ready to go now for next week in relation to seeing the course this weekend.”
Luther, following up its Iowa Conference title, claimed the women’s region team top spot. Coach Yarrow Pasche’s team scored 68 points, thanks in large part to three top 15 individual places.
“We always train, beginning from the summer on, like we are getting ready for the championships,” Pasche said. “This entire season has been about each runner, one through 30, making contributions. It goes all the way around from the runners competing to those supporting them at the meets on down the line.”
The host Wartburg Knights also gained an automatic national qualifying spot, taking second with 111 points. Lori Tlach (22:05) guided the Orange and Black by winning the individual title.
“This meet could’ve been the last one, so I had to run like this to help the team,” she said. “I wanted to do something important to help the team. I guess I picked a good time to win my first collegiate individual title.”
Simpson’s Catie Ellingson placed second to Tlach (22:06). “I just need to keep running and rest up,” she said looking ahead at nationals. “It helps going in to know the course, but anything can happen.”
The 2010 NCAA Division III nationals are Saturday, Nov. 20, at Max Cross Country Course in Waverly. The men’s 8000 km event is at 11 a.m. followed by the women’s 6000 km at 12 p.m.
Notes – Quotes from third-place individual finishers – Linda Keller of Minnesota-Morris: “I feel like I’ve been more confident this season. It showed today with a good race.”
Erik Johnson, Luther – “Hey, you’ve got to leave it on the course today. This could’ve been the last race, and we didn’t want it to end that way.”
Other men’s individual automatic national qualifiers included Ryan Schroeder of Coe (4th – 25:41.8), Dustin Franta of St. John’s (fifth – 25:44.5), Tom Sederquist of Concordia (Minn.) (sixth – 25:45.2), Andrew Tobben of Cornell (seventh – 25:50.8) and Dan McDermott of Loras (ninth – 25:51.9). The remaining individual automatic qualifiers on the women’s side were Emma Lee of St. Olaf (fourth – 22:10.1), Simone Childs-Walker of Carleton (fifth – 22:13 flat), Maren Westby of St. Olaf (seventh – 22:19.9), Taylor Berg of St. Thomas (eighth – 22:26.3) and Allie Metzler of St. Thomas (ninth – 22:27.2). … The entire 2010 national field will be released Sunday, Nov. 14. … The top 35 finishers on the men’s and women’s side earn all-region honors.
