Minnesota Women Lead USA Teams at World Cross Country Championships

Minnesota athletes led the USA Junior and Open Women's teams to strong finishes at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Edinburgh, Scotland, today.

In the Junior division, Stanford freshman Alex Gits of Edina finished in 13th place to lead the USA squad to sixth place in the team standings. Gits was followed by Duke freshman Emily Schwitzer of Minnetonka in 28th place.

Gits and Schwitzer took different routes to their high finishes.

"I knew I was going to get nice and muddy. I didn't want that front pack to gain so much distance, so I just took a few quick steps and got right back up there," Gits said.

"I made sure that I went out slower, as I tend to get intimidated," Schwitzer explained. "I tried to gain confidence by picking people off. I learned to run in the pack and keep my arms out, look up, and take the turns wide."

Former Gopher Emily Brown (pictured) continued her fantastic season with a 18th place finish to lead the Women's Open team to fourth place. Her Team USA Minnesota training partner Katie McGregor was close behind in 22nd. Molly Huddle and Kathy Newberry finished in 23rd and 24th to put the squad within 3 points of the medal stand.

"It felt really good that it was such a team effort out there," Brown told USATF. "I think we had different race strategies today, but we ended up together, and that made us stronger as a team."

Brown's success at the extended distance has given her renewed confidence in her racing range.

"I am trying to decide what my track distance will be this spring. I may end up running the 5k, but it gives me confidence knowing that I can move up to 10k."

"Overall, I thought we did a great job," McGregor said of her team's effort. "I sort of got lost for a bit there, but when the other girls started moving up, it helped. It's great when all of your teammates come together."

The Senior Men's squad – coached by Stillwater's Scott Christensen – finished in seventh place.

USATF has posted a recap of all the action.

There's a decent photo gallery here, with a good shot of McGregor.

Photo by Sean Hartnett.