NSIC Weekly Summary

NSIC Men's Cross Country Athlete of the Week
Jason Dowell
Junior
Wheaton, Ill.
Wheaton North HS
MSU Moorhead

Jason Dowell won the first competition of his MSUM career with a victory at the Dragons' Randy Smith Invitational on Sept. 13. Dowell won the men's 8K with a time of 25:09 to beat U-Mary's Chris Jessop by eight seconds for the win in helping MSUM to the team title by 22 points. Dowell has led the Dragons in both of their competitions of 2013.

Team Notes 
Concordia-St. Paul
Junior Nic Rudolph (Waseca, Minn.) became the seventh fastest junior runner in program history with a 27:22 time at the Concordia-Wisconsin Invitational in Mequon. He took 24th place out of more than 171 runners, clinching the second-fastest time on the course in program history. He improved by 1:45.5 over last year's time on the course, moving up 49 places.

 On average, the Concordia runners improved upon their times from last year by 68.5 seconds with four new personal best times established. The Golden Bears will run next at the Roy Griak Invitational at the University of Minnesota's Les Bolstad Golf Course on September 28.

Minnesota Duluth
Five University of Minnesota Duluth runners finished among the top eight overall finishers Saturday afternoon at the Lumberjack Classic in Ashland, Wis., winning the team title. For the second time in as many weeks, UMD's Dan Nielsen captured top individual honors as the junior from Andover, Minn., completed the 8K race with a time of 26:36.2.  Sophomore and fellow Andover native Mitch Fisher was next (4th place; 27:43.1) followed by sophomore Drew Johnson (5th; 27:43.7), junior Mitch Zuidema (6th; 27:45.1) and sophomore Ted Heikkila (8th; 28:35.8). The Bulldogs posted a team score of 24 points -- 12 better than runnerup St. Scholastica in the four-school event. Northland College was the host school.

Next up for the Bulldogs is the annual Roy Griak Invitational.

MSU Moorhead
Jason Dowell (Jr., Wheaton, Ill. / Wheaton North) won the Dragons' Randy Smith Invitational on Sept. 13 with a time of 25:09. He beat U-Mary's Chris Jessop by eight seconds to help MSUM win the team title by 22 points. Dowell has led the Dragons in both of their competitions of 2013.

Sophomore Tyler Hennen placed seventh at 26:08. Junior Jack Peterson was eighth at 26:21.at their lone home meet of 2013.

Winona State
Billy Eifert (Jr., Cambridge, Minn.) led the Winona State men's cross country team at the Wisconsin-Parkside Midwest Open with a 15th place finish. Eifert posted a time of 25:49. Winona State was eighth.

NSIC Women's Cross Country Athlete  of the Week
Jennifer Agnew
Senior
Onamia, Minn.
Onamia HS
Unversity of Mary

Jennifer Agnew showed no rust competing in cross country for the first time since the 2011 NCAA championships. She won the Randy Smith Invitational 5K meet by 50 seconds over teammate Megan Beam, in a time of 17:12.

Team Notes 
Bemidji State
Emily Turner (So., Bringham Lake, Minn.) finished 25th at the Randy Smith Invitational Friday.in 20:09/25th.  The Beavers finished seventh.Next on schedule is the 27th Annual Roy Griak Invitational.

Concordia-St. Paul
Junior Anna Schield (Two Harbors, Minn.) unofficially placed third among all non-Division I runners and ninth overall at the Concordia-Wisconsin Invitational in Mequon, Wis. on Saturday. Schield's time of 23:48 was  the third fastest junior in school history 23:48.0 and was fastest time ever for a CSP runner on the course. She improved by 1:17 over her time last year to secure her top collegiate finish.

On average, the Concordia runners improved upon their times from last year by 68.5 seconds with four new personal best times established … The Golden Bears will run next at the Roy Griak Invitational.

Minnesota Duluth
On a hot and sticky morning in Collegeville, Minn., the University of Minnesota Duluth its 2013 cross country season in promising fashion at the St. John's University Invitational. The Bulldogs captured first place in the six-team women's event and also produced the meet's  individual champion in freshman Breanna Colbenson.

With temperatures nearing the 90-degree mark, Colbenson, in her first collegiate race posted a 6K time of 23:03, 30 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher. She was followed by junior Ali Rudin (ninth/24:35), freshman Samantha Rivard (10th/ 24:38), and sophomore Hannah Olson (13th/24:52).

Up next for the UMD is the St. Olaf College Invitational on Sept. 21.

MSU Moorhead
Molly Montonye (Sophomore, Graceville, Minn. / Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley HS) took home a third-place finish at MSUM's Randy Smith Invitational in 18:05, three seconds out of second place. Her strong showing helped MSUM take second at the meet. The sophomore has led MSUM at both meets this season.

Freshman Mackenzie Smith was 10th overall at 18:55.

 Winona State
Jessica Young (Jr., Winona, Minn.) was fourth in 18:16 at the Wisconsin-Parkside Midwest Open leading the Warriors to fifth. The team returns to action on Sept. 27 at the SMU No Limit Invitational in Winona.