For Immediate Release
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
NSIC Media Relations
Full PDF Release
NSIC Women’s Cross Country Athlete of the Meet
A dominating backstretch by Jennifer Agnew led the University of Mary senior to the Northern Sun women’s cross country individual championship. The four-time All-American won the race by 35.16 seconds and led the 18th-ranked Marauders to a fourth place finish. Running fairly even with two-time conference champion Runa Falch of Augustana through the first third of the race, Agnew began to create significant separation around the fifth kilometer of the 6K course. Posting an impressive time of 20:35.02, the Onamia, MN, native easily cruised to the victory.
NSIC Women’s Cross Country Newcomer of the Year
Minnesota Duluth freshman Samantha Rivard (Oak Grove, Minn. / St. Francis HS) ran a 6K time of 21:22.54 to finish fourth overall and earn NSIC Newcomer of the Year honors. The 21:22.54 was a personal best on the season for Rivard.
NSIC Women’s Cross Country Coach of the Year
Minnesota Duluth’s third year head coach Joanna Warmington was voted by her peers as the 2013 NSIC Women’s Coach of the Year honors after the Bulldogs won the NSIC Women’s Cross Country Championship by 17 points.
Minnesota Duluth Wins Cross Country Championship
The University of Minnesota Duluth women earned the moniker if NSIC Women’s Cross Country Champions and did so by not only dethroning the five-time defending league titleholders Augustana, and doing so in their backyard. The Bulldogs placed five runners among the top 24 individual finishers at Yanton Trails Park in Sioux Falls, S.D. to top the 15-school field with 50 points. That was 17 points more than runnerup Augustana College, which had captured the previous five NSIC crowns. The NSIC title was the first for the Bulldogs since 2003.
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NSIC Team Standings |
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1 Minnesota-Duluth |
50 |
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2 Augustana |
67 |
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3 Winona State |
84 |
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4 University of Mary |
109 |
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5 MSU Moorhead |
137 |
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6 Minnesota State |
153 |
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7 Sioux Falls |
184 |
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8 Minot State |
226 |
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9 Northern State |
228 |
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9 St. Cloud State |
228 |
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11 Southwest Minnesota State |
369 |
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12 Concordia-St. Paul |
370 |
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13 Wayne State |
379 |
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14 Upper Iowa |
384 |
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15 Bemidji State |
396 |
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First Team All-Conference |
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1 |
Agnew, Jennifer |
SR |
University of Mary |
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2 |
Brondbo, Kristin |
SR |
Augustana |
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3 |
Young, Jessica |
JR |
Winona State |
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4 |
Rivard, Samantha |
FR |
Minnesota Duluth |
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5 |
Olson, Hannah |
SO |
Minnesota Duluth |
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6 |
Harder, Sierra |
SR |
Sioux Falls |
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7 |
Rudin, Alexandra |
JR |
Minnesota Duluth |
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8 |
Montonye, Molly |
SO |
MSU-Moorhead |
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9 |
Hovind, Sasha |
FR |
Northern State |
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10 |
Colbenson, Breanna |
FR |
Minnesota Duluth |
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Second Team All-Conference |
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11 |
Skelly, Jordan |
JR |
Winona State |
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12 |
Leier, Erin |
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University of Mary |
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13 |
Delgado, Meritxell |
FR |
Augustana |
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14 |
Falch, Runa |
SR |
Augustana |
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15 |
Vaness, Kassie |
SR |
St. Cloud State |
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16 |
Yoerg, Kaitlyn |
JR |
Augustana |
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17 |
Sunstrom, Sam |
FR |
St. Cloud State |
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18 |
Soupir, Samantha |
JR |
Minnesota State |
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19 |
LeSavage, Jordana |
SO |
Winona State |
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20 |
Carlson, Kayla |
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University of Mary |
NSIC Team Notes
Augustana
An off day for the Augustana women gave them their first non-victory of the season at the 2013 NSIC Women’s Cross Country Championships. Kristin Brondbo led the Viking women with a second-place finish, clocking a 21:10.18, her highest finish at the NSIC championships. Women’s division winners Minnesota Duluth placed four runners in the top 10, while Augustana’s second and third runner, Meritxell Delgado and Runa Falch, earned 13th and 14th place overall. Kaitlyn Yoerg came across in 16th and Cassidy Soli capped off the Vikings’ scoring in 22nd place.
Bemidji State
The Bemidji State cross country team participated in the NSIC Championship Saturday. The Beavers finished 15th in the 6,000-meter race, hosted by Augustana College at Yankton Trail Park in Sioux Falls, S.D. BSU posted 396 points and completed the race with a team time of two hours, six minutes and 57 seconds to finish last in the event. Sophomore Emily Turner (Bringham Lake, Minn.) guided the Beavers with a time of 24:06 to finish 72nd out of 124 student-athletes. Sophomore Jolynne Denman (Esko, Minn.) posted a time of 25:17 to finish 94th. The Beavers travel back to Sioux Falls, S.D. Nov. 9 for the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships.
Concordia-St. Paul
Concordia-St. Paul junior Anna Schield led the cross country team the 2013 NSIC Championships at Yankton Trails Park hosted by Augustana College. Schield was Concordia’s top finisher in 45th place, setting a new personal best time by 21.57 seconds as she improved by 11 places over last year’s finish at the conference championships, and 33 spots better than her freshman year finish. She becomes the fourth fastest overall runner in program history and the fastest junior. Schield set the tone for the team, as the women finished in 12th out of 15 in the final standings.
University of Mary
A dominating backstretch by Jennifer Agnew led the University of Mary senior to the Northern Sun women’s cross country individual championship. The four-time All-American won the race by 35.16 seconds and led the 18th-ranked Marauders to a fourth place finish. Running fairly even with two-time conference champion Runa Falch of Augustana through the first third of the race, Agnew began to create significant separation around the fifth kilometer of the 6K course. Posting an impressive time of 20:35.02, the Onamia, MN, native easily cruised to the victory.
This is the second straight individual title for the Marauders and the third since joining the NSIC in 2006. Melissa Agnew, Jennifer’s twin sister, captured the 2012 title. Tiffany Czarmonska claimed the 2006 title in U-Mary’s first year competing in the conference. Two Marauders earned second team All-Northern Sun honors to help claim fourth for U-Mary. Erin Leier posted a time of 22:00.45 to place 12th overall. Kayla Carlson earned conference honors for the second time in her career with a 20th-place finish with a mark of 22:21.17.
Minnesota Duluth
Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference cross country champions. The University of Minnesota Duluth women earned that moniker Saturday and did so by not only dethroning the five-time defending league titleholders, but doing so in their own backyard. The Bulldogs placed five runners among the top 24 individual finishers at Yanton Trails Park in Sioux Falls, S.D. to top the 15-school field with 50 points. That was 17 points more than runnerup Augustana College, which had captured the previous five NSIC crowns as well as the last championship in the now-defunct North Central Conference (2007). Freshman Samantha Rivard (a 6K time of 21:22.54) and sophomore Hannah Olson (21:32.74) placed third and fourth out of 124 runners while junior Alexandra Rudin (21:42.21) and freshman Breanna Colbenson (21:57.27) took seventh and 10th. Sophomore Erica Seidenkranz (22:33.80) finished 24th to round out the UMD point getters. The times turned in by Rivard, Olson, Rudin and Seidenkranz were all 2013 personal bests. The NSIC title was the first for the Bulldogs since 2003.
Minnesota State
Led by the 18th-place finish of junior Samantha Soupir, Minnesota State ranked sixth at the 2013 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Women’s Cross Country Championships in Sioux Falls Saturday morning. Soupir was top Minnesota State finisher at the meet, with her 22:17.64 clocking on the 6K course at the at Yankton Trails Park placing her 18th overall. Senior Jessie DeJong was 31st (22:48.65), junior Marina Paul was 33rd (22:54.79), senior Sarah Bowler was 35th (22:58.85), sophomore Emily Knapczyk placed 36th (22:59.14), freshman Maddi Sjelin was 46th (23:19.14) and junior Kimberly Allan finished 50th (23:30.61)
MSU Moorhead
Molly Montonye (So., Graceville, Minn. / Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley HS) earned All-NSIC honors for the second straight year. A year after finishing 13th, Montonye improved her position by five spots to finish eighth during the 2013 NSIC Championships, which were held Saturday in Sioux Falls, S.D. Montonye earned All-NSIC first team honors with the finish. She finished with a 6K time of 21:50.43 and helped MSUM to a solid fifth-place finish. The Dragons resume action on Nov. 9 at the Central Region meet in Sioux Falls, S.D.
Minot State
Minot State University’s women’s cross country team had Kara Kuntz (Jr., Voltaire, N.D.), Samantha Huether (Fr., Minot, N.D.) and Catie LeDesma (Fr., Chula Vista, Calif.) under its 2012 top two and No. 4 runner Allison Windish (So., Wimbledon, N.D.) finished in 48, just four back from No. 2 last season at the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Championships, finishing eighth overall. Kuntz finished in a time of 22 minutes, 43.46 seconds, freshmen Huether and LeDesma came in with a 23:03.20 and a 23:05.81, while Windish covered the course in 23:23.20. Minot State moves on to the NCAA Central Region Championships also at Sioux Falls Nov. 9.
Northern State
Freshman Sasha Hovind ran to a ninth-place finish with a time of 21:56.07 in the women’s 6K race at the NSIC Championships in Sioux Falls Saturday. With her ninth-place finish, Hovind earns First Team All-NSIC honors. The Northern State women ran to a ninth-place finish as a team at the championships. Whitney Kuyper was the next highest finisher for the Wolves. Kuyper placed 44th with a time of 23:17.18. Kendra Woytassek took 53rd and finished with a time of 23:36.07. Dakota Bullen (24:00.60), Stacey McDonald (24:07.60), Nicole Arnold (24:12.08), Makayla Perryman (24:52.85) and Courtney Brandt (25:30.20) rounded-out the times for the Northern women.
Sioux Falls
The USF women’s cross country team competed in the 2013 NSIC Championships on Saturday and came away with a 7th place team finish. The Cougars were led by senior Sierra Harder (Sr., Mountain Lake, Minn./Mountain Lake HS) who finished 6th overall with her 6k time of 21:37.98. Carrie King (34th) was the second Cougar finisher with her time of 22:56.46. Jordin Kopplow (23:06.73) and Becca Steadman (23:14.39) were the number three and four runners for USF finishing in 40th and 43rd place respectively. The final scoring runner for USF was Rachel Huffman who ran a 24:04.00 on her way to a 69th place finish. The Cougars will compete next on November 9 at the NCAA Central Regional Championships in Sioux Falls, S.D. at Yankton Trail Park.
Southwest Minnesota State
The Southwest Minnesota State University women’s cross country team finished 11th out of 15 teams. Amanda Grengs was SMSU’s top finisher in 6,000-meter race with a time of 23:53 to finish in 63rd place, while teammate Paige Yi finished right behind in 64th place with a time of 23:54. Tatum Larson recorded an 88th place finish with a time of 24:55, with Julia Sauder finishing with a time of 25:49 to earn a 101st place finish. Diana Moe (28:03), Hannah Dressen (28:19) and Emily Hartwig (30:27) rounded out SMSU’s team scores.
St. Cloud State
St. Cloud State University senior Kassie Vaness and fresman Samantha Sunstrom both earned All-NSIC honors thanks to a pair of top 20 finishes at the 2013 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference women’s cross country championships on Saturday, Oct. 26 in Sioux Falls, S.D. Vaness paced the Huskies in the 6K race at the Yankton Trails Park with a 15th place time of 22:07.20 on the course. Sunstrom placed 17th in the race with a time of 22:16.42. As a team, the Huskies placed ninth with 228 points. Minnesota Duluth won the race with a team total of 50 points, while host and defending champ Augustana had 67 points. SCSU’s Jenny Metzler placed 62nd overall at 23:53.45, while Jessie Hubley was 83rd at 24:26.92. SCSU’s other runners included Lindsey Stassen with an 85th place time of 24:40.98, Lauren Johnson with an 89th place time of 24:57.10, Kylie Baas with a 91st place time of 24:59.81, Rachel Sakry with a 92nd place time of 24:59.81 and Tristan Sproul with a 100th place time of 25:47.81. The Huskies will return to action on Saturday, Nov. 9 with a trip to the 2013 NCAA Division II Central Regional meet in Sioux Falls, S.D. The race will be held on the same course at Yankton Trails Park.
Upper Iowa
The Peacocks placed 14th in the 15-team field and were in striking distance of three more teams in the final standings at the 2013 NSIC Women’s Cross Country Championship. MeKenzie Coppage set a new 6K record for Upper Iowa with her run today. Coppage placed 60th with a time of 24:02.13; her best 6K time of the season to lead Upper Iowa.
Wayne State
The Wayne State College women’s cross country team placed 13th Saturday morning at the Northern Sun Conference Championships held at Yankton Trails Park in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The Wildcats recorded a team total of 379 points out of the 15 teams competing in the meet. Wayne State’s top runner was freshman Cristina Murillo, who was 56th out of 124 runners overall with a time of 23:39 on the 6,000 meter course. Next for the Wildcats was West Point freshman Aryn Smidt in 82nd place at 24:25. Cassidy Tinsley and Andrea DeSimone followed for WSC in 98th and 105th respectively with times of 25:39 and 25:54.
Winona State
Jessica Young (Jr., Winona, Minn. / Winona) put together an outstanding start to her postseason, recording a third-place finish at the NSIC Championship Saturday in Sioux Falls. Young finished the race in a time of 21:22, one of four Warriors to finish in the top 25 individually as WSU placed third as a team. Her time was the third-best in Winona State history, just 11 seconds behind the school record set by Kayla Gudmundson at the NCAA Championship last season. Jordan Skelly added an 11th-place showing for the Warriors, posting a time of 21:58. Skelly’s time is also inside the school’s all-time top-ten. Jordana LeSavage finished 19th with a time of 22:18 for the Warriors while Jordan Paschke was 21st with a 22:21 showing.
Past NSIC Women’s Cross Country Athletes of the Week
9/10/13: Runa Falch - Augie
9/17/13: Jennifer Agnew - U-Mary
9/24/13: Breanna Colbenson - UMD
10/1/13: Runa Falch - Augie (2)
10/8/13: Runa Falch - Augie (3)
10/15/13: Jennifer Agnew - U-Mary (2)