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.

US Marathon Championships Favorites Named for Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon

Three naturalized American citizens and a local favorite will headline the fields for the 2013 USA Men’s and Women’s Marathon Championships held in conjunction with the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon on October 6.

Kenyan expatriates Shadrack Biwott (Eugene, Ore.) and Josphat Boit (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.), who have found success this year at shorter USA Championships distances, are favorites in the men’s field. The USA Women’s Championship features Romanian-born Adriana Nelson (Boulder, Colo.), the winner of the USA Half Marathon Championship in Duluth this June, and Team USA Minnesota’s Meghan Peyton (Richfield), who was the surprise victor at the USA 20K Championship in New Haven, Conn. earlier this month. 

Competitors in the USA Championships will be racing for $145,000 in prize money, including $25,000 for the winners and an additional $25,000 course record bonus should the men’s champion break Phil Coppess’s men’s mark of 2:10:05 set in 1985 or the women’s winner better the record shared by Zinaida Semenova (2001) and Irina Permitina (2004) at 2:26:51.

“We’re honored to host the USA Championships again and we’re excited to see how the races will play out,” Twin Cities In Motion Executive Director Virginia Brophy Achman said. “Offering developmental and racing opportunities for American athletes is part of our mission at Twin Cities In Motion. We’re glad to partner with USA Track & Field in that effort.”

In addition to the USA Marathon Championships, which the event will host again in 2014, the race will host the USA Masters Marathon Championships, the national championship for athletes 40 years old and older. This year will mark the 23rd-straight year that the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon has played host to the USA Masters Championships.

Biwott, a graduate of the University of Oregon and a podium finisher at the USA 10K, Half Marathon, and 20K Championship this year, appears ready to improve upon his marathon personal best of 2:20:28 from 2011. Boit, a University of Arkansas graduate and the runner-up at the 2013 USA 25K Championship, sports a 2:15:40 marathon best from 2011.

Nelson, a former Romanian national champion who won the 2013 USA Half Marathon title in 1:11:19, has a marathon best of 2:28:52 from 2008. Peyton, a University of Iowa alumnus whose only marathon experience was at the 2012 Olympic Trials where she did not finish, won her USA 20K title in 1:09:57. The full professional field for Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon – including USA and USA Masters Championships competitors -- will be announced on race week.

Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon Weekend kicks off on Friday, October 4 with the Health & Fitness Expo at RiverCentre in St. Paul. Activities continue on Saturday, October 5 with the TC 10K, presented by TomTom, the TC 5K Run/Walk, presented by Fredrikson & Byron, and the Medtronic TC Family, all held on the State Capitol grounds in St. Paul. The weekend culminates with the 15th running of the Medtronic TC 10 Mile and the 32nd annual Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon on Sunday, October 6.

Boys Class A HS XC Coaches Rankings

Teams

1     Perham                     

2     Waseca                    

3     Minnehaha Academy          

4     Martin County West         

5     Cotter                     

6     Mora                       

7     Plainview-Elgin-Millville  

8     Crosby Ironton             

9     St. Cloud Cathedral        

10    Proctor                    

11    Holdingford                

12    Canby/Minneota/LinHi       

--    Esko                       

--    Albany                     

Individuals

1     Shane Streich, 11             Waseca                  

2     Keeghan Hurley, 12            Perham                  

3     Ian Torchia, 12               Rochester Lourdes       

4     Ephraim Bird, 11              Hope Acad.              

5     Billy Beseman, 11             Perham                  

6     Ethan Wagner, 12              Minnehaha Academy       

7     Isaac Overmyer, 11            Park Rapids             

8     TJ Schiltz, 12                NRHEG                   

9     Mike Destache, 11             St. Paul Acad.          

10    Jayden Cullen, 12             Perham                  

11    Matt Schrupp, 12              Cotter                  

12    Ryan Phillips, 12             Redwood Valley Area     

--    Ben Sullivan, 12              Perham                  

--    Nick Golebiowski, 12          St. Cloud Cath.         

--    Jonah Mayo, 11                Martin County West      

Larson, Berens are MIAC XC Athletes of the Week

St. Catherine's Ailee Larson (Lutsen, MN) had a day to remember Saturday at the UW-River Falls Falcon Invitational. Larson won in 22:12.6, setting a new personal best, a new course record, and ran the second-fastest time in Wildcats history. To that list Larson can now add the designation as the MIAC Women's Cross Country Athlete-of-the-Week.

Larson, a junior, ran a minute and 19 seconds faster than her previous best, and only 14 seconds behind the school record by All-American Greta Sieve set in 2009. Larson led SCU to a sixth-place finish.

The Wildcats and Larson will take this week off and prepare for The Roy Griak Invitational on Saturday, September. 28 at the Les Bolstad Golf Course in St. Paul.

Bethel junior Matt Berens (Oakdale, Minn./North St. Paul) won his second MIAC Men's XC Athlete of the Week honor with his record-setting - performance at Saturday's Les Duke Invitational in Grinnell, Iowa. His winning time of 24:32 shattered the meet record, which had stood for nearly 20 years. 

The junior lead Bethel to a fourth-place finish. Berens is undefeated  in cross country and will attempt to keep that streak alive at the Griak Invitational

News Bits

Perham Focus article on Brady Speicher and the MSU Moorhead team is HERE.

Waseca County News story on the NRHEG Invitational is HERE.

Partial results from the Lake City Invitational are HERE(boys) and HERE(girls).

Duluth News Tribune article on the upcoming charity race, the Park Point Beach Run 5K this Saturday is HERE.

For those of you who don't know about it already, the Roy Griak 50 year anniversary celebration info is HERE.

Obsa Ali Interview

MileSplit interview with Obsa Ali is HERE.

Yes/No: Four questions on the Milaca Mega Meet

The Yes/No Contest will continue the tour of big high school invitationals.  Last week we covered the Lakeville Applejack Invitational and now we will turn our focus to the Milaca Mega Meet -- the meet known as "the largest high school cross country meet in the United States."

There is a twist this week in the Yes/No Contest:  We will ask four questions and your job is to pick one and answer that question.  Find the question that you are most confident answering and send in your response.

Let's get right to the questions...

Yes/No#1: Will any of the varsity races (girls and boys, all four classes) course records be broken this weekend at the Milaca Mega Meet?

Yes/No#2: Will any varsity team score fewer than 35 points at the Milaca Mega Meet?

Yes/No#3: Will ten or more boys break 16:00 in the Varsity Boys 5000 Meters (adding up all four classes combined) at the Milaca Mega Meet?

Yes/No#4: In the varsity races (girls and boys, all four classes) will a runner from a Minnesota take first place individually in all eight races?

Remember that you only answer one question.  Find the question that you feel the most confident about and indicate clearly in your e-mail which one you are answering.

For general information on the Mega Meet visit the meet's information page HERE.  Apple Raceberry Jam has results from Milaca Mega Meet 2003 - 2012 HERE.  Search on Milaca Mega Meet and either choose a year or click "all available" to see all prior results.

Here are some additional Mega Meet links to help you answer the question:
- Milaca Mega Meet Course Records
- Ranked Teams/Individuals in the meet
- Mega Meet Schedule
- List of AAAA schools
- List of AAA schools
- List of AA schools
- List of A schools

To play our game, simply type "yes" or "no" into the subject line of an e-mail and send it to us at DtBFantasy [AT] gmail [DOT] com before 11:55 A.M. CDT, Saturday, September 21st.  Please put your answers in the subject line of the e-mail and make sure your full name appears somewhere in the e-mail.  We will offer a bonus for participants making their 2013 debut in Yes/No - a correct answer will be worth two points for anyone who has not played yet this year.

My Answers:  #1 - No.  #2 - No.  #3 - Yes.   #4 - Yes

The last question was:  Will ten or more girls break 15:00 in the Varsity Girls 4000 Meters at the Lakeville North Applejack Invitational? The answer was yes - twelve girls broke 15:00 led by Anna Van Wyk of Eagan.  It was a tough question this week only eleven people answered correctly.  Dimitri Drekonja moved in a tie for first place, sharing the honors with Mary Varney and Lori Anne Schwiesow.  Pat Foley remains one point back and has nineteen points.
For all the results, please visit DtB Fantasy Corner, HERE.

Girls Class A HS XC Coaches Rankings

Teams

1     Waseca                     

2     Annandale                  

3     Holy Family Catholic       

4     St. Cloud Cathedral        

5     Perham                     

6     Dover-Eyota                

7     Trinity at  River Ridge    

8     Esko                       

9     Canby/Minneota/Linc HI     

10    Rochester Lourdes          

11    St. Paul Academy/Summit    

12    Fairmont                   

--    Spectrum                   

--    Martin County West         

--    Holdingford                

--    Maple Lake                 

Individuals

1     Emi Trost, 12                 Cannon Falls            

2     Madison Schandelmeier, 9      Luverne                 

3     Kayla Huhnerkoch, 11          Redwood Valley Area     

4     Kailee Kiminski, 11           Esko                    

5     Courtney Alama, 12            Annandale               

6     Rachel Eickhoff, 11           St. Cloud Cathedral     

7     Mary Naas, 11                 St. Paul Academy/Summit 

8     Maria Eastman, 10             Holy Family Catholic    

9     Elizabeth Schlafke, 10        Annandale               

10    Sally O’Brien, 11             Waseca                  

11    Madeline Huglen, 11           Roseau                  

12    Bethany Coop, 12              Mora                    

--    Janessa Meuleners, 11         Belle Plaine            

--    Maykala Hohn, 12              Luverne                 

--    McKenzie Holt, 12             St. Cloud Christian     

--    Tori Burr, 12                 Glencoe Silver Lake     

News Bits

Perham Focus story on latest Perham XC boys team win, plus MSHSL's John Millea story on the Perham program is HERE.

Results from the Pierz Pioneer Stampede races are HERE (scroll down to September 16, 2013).

Worthington Daily Globe story on the Turkey Day 10K road race is HERE.

EuropeanAthletics.org  story on Gopher grad and Olympic javelin champion, Barbora Spotakova,  on her return to competition after giving birth to her first child in May is HERE.

Wayzata, Edina, Stillwater listed in national/regional Running Times rankings. Boys(HERE) and girls(click on the link at the bottom of the boys' rankings)

Minnesota Daily article on the Gopher women's redshirt sophomores is HERE.

Boys Class AA HS XC Coaches Rankings

Teams
1              Wayzata
2              Stillwater
3              Eden Prairie
4              Edina
5              Hutchinson
6              Rosemount
7              Robbinsdale Armstrong
8              Mounds View
9              Hopkins
10           Centennial
11           Totino Grace
12           Lakeville North
Other Teams receiving votes: Alexandria, Bemidji, Moorhead

Individuals
1              Obsa Ali, Richfield
2              Connor Olson, Wayzata
3              Jacob McDermott, Cretin-Derham Hall
4              Isaiah Barlow, Hutchinson
5              Cal Lawton, Eden Prairie
6              Matt Lumbar, Edina
7              Hunter Bailey, Winona
8              Bailey Hesse-Withbroe, Stillwater
9              Jaret Carpenter, Wayzata
10           Zack Benning, Hastings
11           Chris Meados, Andover
12           Logan Ramlet, Edina
Other Athletes receiving votes: Joey  Duerr, Chaska; Ashenafi Hatte, Washington Technical Magnet; Wali Ibrahim, Lakeville South; Joe Louuiselle, Totino Grace; Sam Sinkler, Minneapolis Southwest; Jacob Young, Eden Prairie

Peyton Wins Bear Water Run 10 Mile

Newly Crowned US 20K Road Champ Meghan Peyton of Team USA Minnesota followed her win in the New Haven 20K by winning the Bear Water Run 10 mile on Saturday.  She was not only the first female finisher, she was the overall champion with a time of 56:57. Results are HERE.

Heather Kampf Blogs About Her Youth Running Camp

Heather Kampf blogs about her Youth Running Camp HERE.

U-Mary's Jennifer Agnew Named USTFCCCA Female DII Athlete of the Week

The University of Mary's Jennifer Agnew (Sr., Onamia, Minn.) was selected at the USTFCCCA National Female DII Athlete of the Week. After missing the 2012 cross country season, the 2011 All-American is back, winning the 5K MSU-Moorhead Randy Smith Invitational by 50 seconds in a time of 17:12. Her 5:32 per mile pace helped her team to victory as U-Mary tallied 23 points to MSU-Moorhead's 81. Full meet results are HERE.

Mens' Race

GLYNDON, MN-- The Minnesota State University Moorhead men's cross country team captured the title at the Randy Smith Invitational on Friday at the Ponderosa Golf Club in Glyndon. It is the lone home meet of 2013 for the Dragon teams.

Hosting their first meet since the 2011 season, MSUM's men posted 25 points wiht U-Mary second at 47.

Junior Jason Dowell won the first meet of his MSUM career with an 8K time of 25:09. He bested Mary's Chris Jessop by eight seconds.

Sophomore Tyler Hennen was seventh in 26:08. He was followed closely by junior teammate Jack Peterson, who was eighth at 26:21. Freshman Brady Speicher(Perham, MN)  was 10th at 26:30.  Freshman Jacob Jankowski(Forest Lake, MN) was 12th at 26:35.
The Dragon teams' next action is September. 27 at the St. Boni Invite in St. Bonfacious, MN.

Girls Class AA HS XC Coaches Rankings

Teams

1     Wayzata                                     

2     East Ridge                         

3     Eagan                                       

4     Chanhassen                

5     Edina

6     Eden Prairie                       

7     Lakeville South           

8     Roseville                 

9     Willmar                   

10    Mounds View               

11    Monticello                

12    Moorhead

Others receiving votes:  Bemidji, Forest Lake, Sartell-St Stephen, Alexandria, White Bear Lake, Totino Grace, Marshall    

Individuals                        

1     Anna French, 11               Wayzata                            

2     Megan Hasz, 10                Alexandria                   

3     Bethany Kozak, 12             White Bear Lake                    

4     Anastasia Korzenowski, 9      Chanhassen                     

5     Jenna Truedson, 11            Bemidji                

6     Anna Van Wyk, 11              Eagan                  

7     Bailey Ness, 12               East Ridge                   

8     Bethany Hasz, 10              Alexandria             

9     Rachel King, 11               St Michael-Albertville 

10    Vivian Hett, 12               Burnsville             

11   Emily Betz, 11                East Ridge                   

12    Caroline Brisbois, 12         Roseville

News Bits

Stillwater Gazette story on the Rochester Mayo Invitational boys race is HERE.  Full results from boys race are HERE. Partial results for boys and girls race are HERE

Worthington Daily Globe story the Turkey Trot HS XC meet is HERE. Turkey Day 10K story is HERE.

Duluth News Tribune story on the Lumberjack Classic XC meet is HERE.

NYRR story on the Great North City Games Mile is HERE.

You won't find it online, but on page 7 of the September 11-24  Highland Villager there is a story about discussions at the St. Paul City Council about limiting permits for events, such as road races, in the city because of "the profusion of athletic and charitable events on St. Paul streets."  Not a new topic, but one that can impact running events in St. Paul.

McGregor Inducted into U of Michigan Hall of Honor

Former Team USA Minnesota runner Katie McGregor was inducted into the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor. The announcement was made at halftime of the Wolverine's football game with Akron yesterday.  The induction ceremony will take place in an as yet unscheduled date in February of 2014.

Michigan press release on the trio to be honored is HERE.

Garrett Heath Wins Men's Mile at Great North City Games

Garrett Heath won the mile at the Great North City Games in Newcastle on Saturday in 4:01.56, equaling  Bernard Lagat's meet record set in 2011.  Photo is HERE. Results are HERE. Meet wrap up is HERE. NYRR story on the race HERE.

East Ridge and Anna Van Wyk Wins Girls Title; Obsa Ali and Rosemount Triumph in Boys Race at Lakeville North Applejack Invitational

East Ridge and Eagan's Anna Van Wyk triumphed in the Lakeville North Applejack Invitational on Friday.  East Ridge's team won by 20 points over Eagan with a team score of 72.  Van Wyk led the top 12 finishers under 15 minutes with a winning time of 14:26.7.  Girls 4K results are HERE(scroll down to September and the results for each race are listed, click on the varsity girls 4K).

Rosemount won the boys team title with 79 points and Richfield's Obsa Ali won the individual race by over a minute in 14:57.5.  Boys 5K results are HERE(scroll down to September and the results for each race are listed, click on varsity boys 5K).

Want to Learn About Your Running Economy? Here's Your Chance

Running the Twin Cities Marathon? Pretty fast?

The Human and Sports Performance Laboratory (HSPL) at the University of Minnesota is seeking participants with an expected marathon finish time of 3:00 or faster for men, and 3:30 or faster for women. The study will examine the relationship between running economy and other metabolic factors and marathon finish time.

The study involves a 33-minute, sub-maximal treadmill run, with a warm-up and six incremental stages of 5 minutes each at paces ranging from 75% of 10k pace to 10k pace. Participants will wear a facemask so that gas analysis can be done throughout the test. This will be used to determine oxygen utilization and other factors related to running economy and the individual’s metabolic response to sub-maximal exercise.

A recent (last two months) race finish time at 10k or another common road race distance is needed in order to calculate the paces for your stages. The treadmill test will be scheduled between Sept. 21 and Sept. 29 and will be conducted at the HSPL on the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus.

Contact Chris Lundstrom if you have any questions or are interested:
lund0982@umn.edu
612-381-7970

NSIC Weekly Wrap Up

NSIC Men's Cross Country Athlete of the Week
Adam Braun
Junior
Shoreview, Minn.
Totino-Grace HS
Augustana

Adam Braun finished third at the Augustana Twilight -- first among Division II runners -- to lead Augustana to a runner-up team finish.  The junior distance runner finished with an 18:45.45 four-mile time.  Braun has now finished  in top-five at the Twilight meet for the second consecutive year.

Team Notes

Minnesota Duluth
On a hot and sticky morning in Collegeville, the University of Minnesota Duluth opened its 2013 cross country season at the St. John's University Invitational.  The Bulldog men were second out of five schools and also produced the meet's individual champions in junior Dan Nielsen.  With temperatures nearing the 90-degree mark, Nielsen finished the 8K race with a time of 26:44, winning by some 38 seconds and outpacing 99 other runners.

Minnesota State Mankato
Led by seniors Devin Allbaugh and Jacob Ball, 22nd-rated Minnesota State finished fourth in season-opening action at the 2013 Oz Memorial meet hosted by the University of Minnesota Friday. Allbaugh finished ninth in 19:43.0 for 6K.  Ball tenth at 19:43.5.  Junior Josiah Swanson finished with a time of 20:53.8(26th), junior Matthew Stocker ran 21:53.8(31st), sophomore Daniel Kroenke 22:12.0(32nd) and sophomore Matt Longen finished 33rd in 22:59.9. Next action for the Mavericks is the St. Olaf Invitational in Northfield September 21.

MSU Moorhead
Jason Dowell (Jr., Wheaton, IL / Wheaton North HS) got off to a solid start for the Dragons at the Augustana Twilight Meet in Sioux Falls, SD on Friday night. Dowell was 20th in 19:37.3, 17 seconds from a top 15 finish.

Southwest Minnesota State
The Southwest Minnesota State men's team finished ninth at the 19-team Augustana Twilight 4-mile on Friday in Sioux Falls. Sophomore Alejandro Sanchez (Plano, Texas) was 29th in 20:00.

St. Cloud State
The St. Cloud State University men's cross country team opened its 2013 season at the Saint John's Invitational 8K.  SCSU placed fifth led by Tom Mountain(45th/30:43) followed by Ra'shad Harris (76th/ 33:34), Paul Maile(78th/34:20),  Darryl Howard(96th/39:15), and Riley Myers(98th/41:09).  The Huskies will continue their season on September 21 at the St. Olaf Invitational.

Winona State
Billy Eifert (Jr., Cambridge, Minn.) led the Warriors to the team title at the SMU Alumni Open taking first in  21:36. Three Warriors had top five finishes while all WSU runners finished in the top-25.

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 for three-miles.  The senior 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.

Team Notes
Bemidji State
Emily Turner (So., Bringham Lake, Minn.) started the season going by leading the Beavers to team titel at the Greenwood Run Friday by winning in 16:49. BSU with a team time of 1:29:46, to edge University of Wisconsin-Superior's 1:30:47. Turner won the race by 42 seconds. Next up for the Beavers is the Randy Smith Invitational September 13 in Glyndon, Minn. beginning at 5 p.m.
Minnesota Duluth
The Bulldogs captured first place in the six-team women's event at the St. John's Invitational. The Bulldogs freshman Breanna Colbenson won the 6K race in 23:03 on a day when temperatures were near 90F. Colbenson, finished 30 seconds ahead of the field. Junior Ali Rudin (9th/24:35), freshman Samantha Rivard (10th/24:38), and sophomore Hannah Olson (13th/24:52) followed.

Minnesota State Mankato
Junior Samantha Soupir finished 16th/24:29.1) as Minnesota State Mankato opened its season with a fifth-place finish at the 2013 Oz Memorial  Sophomore Emily Knapczyk was 18th in 24:34.2. Junior Marina Paul 26th/25:17.0), freshman Maddi Sjelin(28th/25:39.5), junior Stephanie Steenhoek(33rd/25:59.7), senior Sarah Bowler(34th/26:01.0), and sophomore Miranda Micke(35th/27:44.1) finished the scoring. Next for the Mavericks is the St. Olaf Invitational.

MSU Moorhead
Molly Montonye (So., Graceville, Minn./ Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley) placed fifth(fourth among college runners) at the Augustana Twilight Meet in 16:57.67 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.

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.) was 44th in 18:10.

St. Cloud State
St. Cloud State University's  Samantha Sunstrom led the Huskies at the 2013 Saint John's Invitational 6K on by finishing third in 24:07. The Huskies placed fourth with 94 points. Kassie Vaness(7th/24:31), Jenny Metzler(33rd/26:19), Lindsay Stassen(50th/27:04),  Kylie Baas (52nd/27:22), Tristan Sproul(56th/27:41),   Rachel Sakry(61st/28:00), Jessie Hubley(78th/29:12) were the other team finishers.  SCSU will continue its season at the St. Olaf Invitational.

Winona State
Jessica Young (Jr., Winona, Minn.) started her season by winning the SMU Alumni Open in 19:18, leading the Warriors to the team title. Five Warriors finished in the top-ten..