NXN & NCAA Women's: Race for the Mudders: UMD third in NCAA DII, Wayzata Sixth at NXN

UMD celebrate their third place finish.

Both women's races will go off at about the same time, and one other thing is in sync--rain soaked courses.  In Louisville for the NCAA DII nationals, there appears to be bigger puddles.  In Portland at NXN, the Nike staff has been working on the low point of the course to get rid of the visible moisture that comes at the 1K and 4K mark of the race.

The new course for NXN has received a lot of enthusiasm from the coaches and has been labeled "fair," and a "strength runners' course" by Toni Reavis, who is doing the commentary for the webcast.  Jacob Hallen and Jamie Testa, two former Wayzata runners, who are coaching the defending champion Wayzata girls' team, said that the team is looking forward to the challenge.  It's a different team than last year, said Hallen, and their approach is not to get caught up in the fact that they are defending champions.  That it's just another race.

Willmar's girls have a similar approach, and since it is their first trip to NXN, Samantha Hanson from Willmar said that they "Just want to have fun."  Absorb the experience.  Elliott Heath, Winona grad, is doing the on the course commentary, riding in the "gator(golf cart)" in front of the race. The weather has temperatures in the high 40s, low 50s with a variable wind.

Mud Leap!!!

The Hasz twins both finished in the top ten.  Meghan Hasz finishing fifth in 17:39.74. Bethany was ninth in 17:41.10.  Wayzata girls finished sixth with 240 points.  Manlius won the team title for the eighth time with 70 points.  Willmar was fourteenth with 342 points.  Full girls results are HERE. MileSplit interview with the Hasz twins is HERE.

UMD women on the awards stand.

At the NCAA DII UMD finished third in the women's team race with four All Americans.  Sam Rivard was the first Bulldog across the line in fourteenth in 21:38 with Emi Trost eighteenth in 21:42.3.  U-Mary's Alexis Zeis was 21st in 21:49.3. NCAA results are HERE. Winona State 17th in team race. UMD summary is HERE.  Winona State summary is HERE. NSIC Summary is HERE.

Winona State 17th in DIII team race.