St Olaf Men and Women Get Auto Qualifying Spots in NCAA Division III Regional Meet

Linda Keller pulls away from Alana Enabit
as the pair crest the final hill near the finish.
Photo by Jim Ferstle

A day that started out overcast and gloomy, turned sunny as hosts St Olaf eked out a four point victory in the men's NCAA Division III Regional men's Championship 8K, while the women hung on for second in their 6K race to earn both teams automatic qualifying spots for the Championships in Terre Haute, Indiana next weekend. Ole sophomore Grant Wintheiser(25;20.9) broke away from team runner up Central College's Eli Horton(second in 25:30.1) and Cole Decker(third in 25:36.3) in the last half mile to win the individual men's title.

Women's defending champion, senior Linda Keller(21:32.8) of the University of Minnesota Morris, left it even later, using mind games and a final straight sprint that left Wartburg sophomore Alana Enabnit five seconds back(21:37.8) at the finish.  The pair were neck and neck coming up the short, steep hill less than a quarter mile from the finish line when Keller put on her final burst.

"I thought I was going to die," Keller told her family, who greeted her with concern at the end of the finish chute.  Keller had collapsed into the arms of one of the finish chute volunteers after the finish and still looked pale as she walked unaided to see her relatives.  "I just have to walk a little," she said and proceeded to go from the water table to the other runners, holding several cups of water to hand out to the other finishers.

A couple of the women had gotten a gap on Keller during the last mile, so she began talking to herself.  "I'm OK, I just have to make top ten(to qualify for nationals)," she told herself. When she heard someone say it was just a half mile from the finish, she perked up:  "Oh, that means I've only got to go for another two minutes." then she picked up the pace.  Enabnit stuck with her, however, and even as she began to pull away Keller thought: "Oh, she's going to come back on me."

When her relatives asked her what her time was, she replied: "I don't know.  I couldn't see anything. I was just focused on that last stretch to the finish.  I just went as hard as I could.  One mat. The other mat. 'Oh, I'm finished.' I didn't see the clock.  I didn't see anything.  I couldn't feel my feet.  I fell on that guy.  I apologized to him(for falling on him)."

There was no need for apologies for Wintheiser as he exercised caution as did the rest of the large lead pack when Grinnell junior Frank Canady(eighth in 25:49.1) shot into a big lead in the first mile.  Canady didn't hold it for long, as the pack caught him within a mile and the pace picked up from there until it was only Wintheiser, Horton, and Decker .  The trio had raced before with Horton beating him by a tenth of a second in the Jim Drews Invitational after Wintheiser had beaten both Horton and Decker at the Roy Griak Invitational.

There would be no sprint finish this time as Wintheiser made a decisive move before the trio left the wooded area for the last time and increased his lead as he charged toward the finish.  Behind him, his teammates were also picking off runners to gain the points needed to edge Central College, who had beaten them handily in their earlier meetings, said St Olaf assistant coach, Dave Griffiths.

Both of St Olaf head coaches, Phil Lundin(men) and Chris Daymont(women) were happy to have earned the automatic qualifier spots to avoid the anxiety and uncertainty of waiting for the NCAA committee to decide the 16 at large teams that get a spot at next Saturday's championship.  Most of the discussion among the coaches afterwards indicated that the top five teams for the women(which would include both Carleton and Gustavus, who tied for fourth) and possibly four or five for the men(which would include St John's who finished fourth).

Full men's results are HERE.  Women's HERE.