MIAC XC Athletes of the Week

Matt Berens, Bethel

Bethel junior Matt Berens (Oakdale, Minn./North St. Paul) was dominant on Saturday, winning the Augsburg College Quadrangular meet by more than a minute while leading his team to the win.Berens ran the 5k course in 15:26 to earn the first MIAC Men's Cross Country Athlete-of-the-Week of the 2013 season.

Berens was one of four Bethel runners in the top ten in the 31-runner field.  Bethel scored 38 points to edge the host Auggies by just two points to take first in the four-team race.

Bethel and Berens will take this week off to prepare for their next competition, which will be Saturday, September 14 at the Les Duke Invitational, hosted by Grinnell College at Oakland Acres Golf Course in Grinnell, Iowa. The meet is scheduled to start at 10 AM.

Noelle Olson, St. Olaf

St. Olaf's Noelle Olson (Big Lake, Minn.) started her collegiate career in grand fashion over the weekend. The first-year runner finished first out of 66 runners while leading the Oles to victory Friday at the Mac-Ole Time Trial in St. Paul. Thanks to her spectacular college debut and first-place finish, Olson was named the first MIAC Women's Cross Country Athlete-of-the-Week of the 2013 season.

Olson completed the 4K course in 14:26.7. She was the first to cross the finish line, beating teammate Jorden Johnson - who finished ninth at the 2012 Division III Championships - by 23 seconds for the win. Olson was the only runner to break 14:30, and only one of three to break 15:00 at the season-opening time trial. She led the Oles to a 20-40 victory over the Scots as 11 of the first 14 runners to cross the finish line hailed from St. Olaf.

The Oles and Olson will return to competition Saturday, September 14, when they travel across the border into Wisconsin for the UW-River Falls Invite in River Falls.

Results of the first races of the season for the MIAC women are HERE.  The men HERE.