NSIC Weekly Wrap Up

NSIC Women's Cross Country Athlete  of the Week
Runa Falch
Senior
Steinkjer, Norway
Steinkjer HS
Augustana

Runa Falch took home her second consecutive Augustana Twilight title with a time of 16:16.77 on the three-mile course.  The senior runner defeated runners from Division I Nebraska and Creighton along with three NSIC teams.  Falch finished nearly 20 seconds ahead of second place and over 40 seconds in front of the next-closest Division II runner.  Falch's led Augustana to  the team title for the second consecutive year. Her efforts earned her the US Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Division II national athlete of the week honors.

Bemidji State
Emily Turner (So., Bringham Lake, Minn.) didn't waste any time getting her and the Bemidji State cross country 2013 season going, as her time of 16:49 paced the field and guided the Beavers to a first place finish at the Greenwood Run Friday. The event, hosted by BSU at Greenwood Golf Course, saw three different teams represented and 18 total individuals compete. The Beavers finished first with a team time of 1:29:46, to edge University of Wisconsin-Superior's time of 1:30:47. Turner set her pace and never turned back, winning the event by 42 seconds. Next up for the Beavers is the Randy Smith Invitational Sept. 13 in Glyndon, Minn. beginning at 5 p.m.

Concordia-St. Paul
The Concordia-St. Paul cross country teams are idle this weekend but open the season on September 14 at the Concordia (Wis.) Invitational in Mequon, Wis. with a women's 6k at 11 a.m. The team is led by top returning runner Anna Schield.

University of Mary
The University of Mary cross country team will open competition this weekend at the Randy Smith Invitational on Friday, September 13. The meet will be held in Glyndon, Minn.

Minnesota Duluth
The Bulldogs captured first place in the six-team women's event at the St. John's Invitational on Saturday Sept. 7th.the Bulldogs 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. Junior Ali Rudin (ninth place overall, 24:35), freshman Samantha Rivard (10th, 24:38), and sophomore Hannah Olson (13th, 24:52) were next.

Minnesota State
Junior Samantha Soupir finished 16th as Minnesota State opened its season with a fifth-place finish at the 2013 Oz Memorial meet in Minneapolis Friday. Soupir completed the 6k-course at the Les Bolstad Golf Course with a time of 24:29.1 as the top Maverick at the meet. Sophomore Emily Knapczyk was next at 24:34.2 in finishing 18th.  Junior Marina Paul was 26th with a time of 25:17.0. freshman Maddi Sjelin was 28th with a time of 25:39.5, junior Stephanie Steenhoek finished 33rd (25:59.7, senior Sarah Bowler was 34th (26:01.0) and sophomore Miranda Micke was 35th (27:44.1). Host Minnesota finished first in the team standings with 15 points and was followed by South Dakota State (67 points), Drake (75 points), North Dakota (121) and Minnesota State (121 points).
Next action for the Mavericks is Sept. 21 when they compete at the St. Olaf Invitational in Northfield, Minn.

MSU Moorhead
Molly Montonye (So., Graceville, Minn./ Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley) got her season off to an excellent start with a fifth-place finish (fourth among college runners) at the Augustana Twilight Meet on Friday in Sioux Falls, S.D. She finished with a time of 16:57.67 and finished ahead of several runners from Division I schools Nebraska and Creighton. Montonye was just two seconds out of fourth place and three seconds out of third during her season debut.

Southwest Minnesota State
The Southwest Minnesota State women's team finished 14th at the 19-team Augustana Twilight on Friday in Sioux Falls. Freshman Amanda Grengs (Minneota, Minn.) recorded a 44th place finish with a time of 18:10 in the three-mile race.

St. Cloud State
St. Cloud State University first year athlete Samantha Sunstrom led the Huskies at the 2013 Saint John's Invitational on Sept. 7 in Collegeville with a third place finish.  Sunstrom charted a time of 24:07 on the 6K course through the woods of SJU.  The trip to the SJU Invitational marked the opening meet of the 2013 cross country season for St. Cloud State.  As a team, the Huskies placed fourth with 94 points at the event.    SCSU senior Kassie Vaness also had an outstanding run at the SJU meet with a seventh place time of 24:31 on the sweltering course at SJU.  Teammate Jenny Metzler placed 33rd overall with a time of 26:19 and Lindsay Stassen placed 50th overall at 27:04.  Other Huskies results included a 52nd place finish by Kylie Baas (27:22) and Tristan Sproul with a 56th place time of 27:41.  Rachel Sakry placed 61st at 28:00 and Jessie Hubley was 78th at 29:12.  SCSU will continue its season on Sept. 21 with a trip to the St. Olaf Invitational.


Winona State
Jessica Young (Jr., Winona, Minn.) started her season strong, placing first at the SMU Alumni Open while leading the Warriors to a team title. Young had a time of 19:18 as the Warriors distanced themselves from the rest of the field. Five total Warriors finished in the top-ten in the team's season-opening event.