Sunday, September 08, 2013

MIAC Womens XC Preview

A year ago, Gustavus claimed the conference championship by edging runner-up St. Olaf and third-place Carleton in one of the closest team finishes in conference history, with just 11 points separating the top three places. The Gusties won the title with 57 points, the Oles 60, and Carleton 68. St. Thomas - led by graduated individual champ Taylor Berg - was solidly in fourth with 102 points. Saint Benedict scored 170 to barley edge Concordia (177) for the final spot in the top five. Hamline cracked 200 points, finishing seventh with 199. Macalester was eighth with 215 and St. Catherine was five points behind the Scots with 220. Augsburg (261), Bethel (287) and Saint Mary's (324) rounded out the final three places in the standings.
The 2013 season and MIAC Championship begin with equal promise of a season ago. Only six of the MIAC's 15 All-Conference runners graduated, along with just four of the ten All-MIAC Honorable Mention runners. In addition, the league's top teams were recognized in the preseason national and regional rankings.
Three MIAC teams received national rankings, with Carleton 14th, St. Olaf. 18th, and Saint Benedict 29th. Defending MIAC champ Gustavus nearly made it four teams, as the Gusties received votes and were the first team outside the top 35 rankings.
Regionally, the MIAC women have six of the Central Region's top ten teams, starting with Carleton in second, St. Olaf fourth, Saint Benedict fifth,Gustavus sixth, St. Thomas seventh, and Concordia  eighth 
The season officially started on Friday, Aug. 30, with many of the MIAC teams in action, and the rest are ready to start in early September. The University of Minnestoa's Roy Griak Invitational will be held on Saturday, Septeptember 28, at 9 AM. Augsburg, Bethel, Carleton, Concordia, Hamline, Macalester, St. Catherine, St. Olaf, and St. Thomas will run in the Division III race.
Five MIAC teams will meet head-to-head at the St. Catherine Invitational on October 12 in St. Paul. Hamline, Macalester, Saint Benedict, St. Catherine and St. Thomas will all be in the field.  A week later - on October 19 - Augsburg, Carleton, Concordia, Gustavus, Hamline, Macalester, Saint Benedict, Saint Mary's, St. Olaf, and St. Thomas will compete at the UW-La Crosse Tori Neubauer Invitational in West Salem, Wis. That will be the final major tune-up before the MIAC Championships on November 2.The women's 6K race is scheduled to start at 2:15 PM.
WHAT'S NEW?After just one coaching change a year ago - Shannon Houlihan taking over at St. Catherine - it was all quiet on the MIAC women's cross country coaching front in 2013, other than the addition of a co-head coach at Hamline. Paul Schmaedeke, entering his 25h season with the Pipers, welcomed Adam Frye this summer as a co-head coach of the Hamline cross country teams. 
A pair of coaches have both been at their current post for 30-plus seasons - St. Thomas' Joe Sweeney (34th season) and St. Olaf's Chris Daymont (33rd season) lead all conference coaches. Carleton's Donna Ricks (21st season) and Augsburg's Dennis Barker (20th) also have served as a head coaches for their current institution for at least 20 seasons.
WHO'S BACK?
If Gustavus has a pair of returning leaders with Rebecca Hare, a junior, the team's top runner at the MIAC meet with her fourth-place finish. Caitlin Fermoyle, another junior, also returns after finishing fifth. Both returning juniors were All-MIAC selections as sophomores.
St. Olaf 's Jorden Johnson, a junior, was second at the 2012 MIAC meet, seventh at the Central Region championship race, and ninth at the NCAA Division III Championships. Seniors Meggie Exner and Moriah Novacinski are also back, and first-year runner Noelle Olson is off to a great start after winning the first MIAC Athlete-of-the-Week award of the 2013 season.
Carleton's sophomore trio. Ruth Steinke, Shira Kaufman, and Sally Donovan,  earned All-MIAC honors last season and each finished in the top 22 at the Central Region championships. Saint Benedict earned its national ranking on the strength of its three returning All-Region runners--Senior Kelsie Larson, junior Manon Gammon-Deering, and sophomore Cathleen Gross. Concordia Moorhead returns a strong veteran team with seniors Hannah Knickerbocker and Morgan Christian the Cobbers top two runners a year ago, and classmate Kathryn Stalnaker.
Hamline has a senior-laden team, with three of its top runners back--All-MIAC runner Maria Theisen, Cassie Ernst, and Hannah Toedter. Macalester will have to replace top runner Rachel Gunsalus, but also has a pair of talented seniors--Lucy Andrews and Becky Kane. 2013. St. Catherine welcomes back two of its top runners as All-MIAC Honorable Mention junior Aliee Larson and senior Kristina Poss, along with returning junior Jenna McElroy.
Augsburg will again be led by junior Kayla Roberge and sophomore Mary Klecker who were both among the Auggies top three runners at the MIAC meet a year ago. Bethel had to say goodbye to NCAA qualifier Mollie Gillberg, but will count on senior Tera Herold and juniors Melody Walton and Michelle Tellez in 2013. Saint Mary's top runner in 2012, junior Katie Stolz, is back with seniors Kristen Thelen and Katherine Mockler. 

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