"I told the team that we were probably a third to sixth place team on any given day, so to be fourth, I'm really pleased with that," said Hopkins."We're right where we should be right now. We were fourth last year as a team, we replaced four of our top five, and we were fourth again. There are not a lot of teams in the country that could do that. It speaks to the girls and their belief in themselves, the depth of this team, and just how committed they are to the process."
Hopkins singled out Madeline Strandimo, the red shirt junior who, Hopkins said, ran the best cross country race of her collegiate career on Sunday. A middle distance runner on the track, Strandimo is more known for her speed than her long distance prowess. So, for her to improve from a 20th place finish last year to 8th this year demonstrates her potential. Four places behind Strandimo was freshman Meghan Hasz in 11th, one half of the Hasz twins who have also demonstrated their talent in their first collegiate season. Her sister Bethany finished 20th as the duo continue to place well in top collegiate competition.
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| Madeline Strandimo runs past the camera man on the final straightaway. Photo by Gene Niemi |
Both are kinesiology majors at the U of M and noted as one of the things they enjoy most in running for the Gophers is the talent that surrounds them. Hopkins said that she recruited the twins because of their telent and she believed that the two were used to pushing one another in practice and would thrive in the collegiate environment because of that. Some top high schoolers are used to not being challenged in high school and are used to winning races easily and are not used to being challenged.
The twins savor being pushed by their teammates instead of only having each other to challenge themselves. They've also dealt with adversity as Meghan lost much of her junior and senior years in high school to leg injuries. They were finally able to get her healthy for her senior track season and believe they've put that recurring injury in the rear view mirror.
A different kind of setback hindered the men's team's chances for finishing higher than their 4th place team placing on Sunday. Richfield grad Obsa Ali, one of the team's top runners, hasn't been at full strength for the last couple of weeks, said Plasencia. This week Ali's body temp reached 102 degrees Despite this illness Ali was determined to race, but while the mind was willing, the flesh was weak.
Charlie Lawrence, the team captain, said that Plasencia told them they had the potential to finish from first to eighth place in the Big 10. Fourth being the happy medium of that range with underclassmen Lawrence(junior), Connor Olson(red shirt freshman), and Matt Welch(junior) leading the charge up front finishing 8th(Lawrence), 13th(Welch), and 14th(Olson).
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| Lawrence(19), Olson(20), and Welch(19) bringing it home. Photo by Gene Niemi |
When Welch heard the comment that it was the Northern Minnesotans that took the lead for the men, he added: "Yeah both Class A too," referring to the fact that both he and Lawrence were from the so-called "small schools" from up North, an obvious source of pride for Welch. Freshman Evin Ferlic (39th) and junior Derek Wiebke(45th) finished the top five for the Gopher men.
Both Plasencia and Hopkins note that the emphasis now is on recovery. Both teams will be aiming for a qualifying spot for NCAA DI Nationals on November 11 in Iowa City. Leading up to that race they will be aimed at avoiding illness and staying sharp for the challenge ahead. "The hay is in the barn," said Hopkins. The goals are clear. What remains is being ready and able to achieve those goals to finish the season on a high note.
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