For Immediate Release
Tuesday, September 27, 2022
NSIC Media Relations

NSIC Men's Cross Country Athlete of the Week
Jackson Harrison (Gr., Aberdeen, S.D. / Central HS) - Northern State
- Ran to a fifth place finish at the Roy Griak Invitational
- Tallied a time of 25:29.90; the second fastest of his career
- Was the first NSIC athlete to cross the finish line
- Recorded splits of 4:48.90, 9:11.90, and 15:36.20 with a 5:07.8 average mile pace
- Named NSIC Men's Cross Country Athlete of the Week for the second time this season (9/13/22)

Other Top Performances
Colten Brand (AUGIE) placed first at the Wildcat Classic with an 8K time of 25:40.50. He helped lead Augustana to a team first place finish at the Wildcat Classic.
Dawson Strom (UMary) led the Marauders efforts at the Griak Invitational as he placed 19th overall out of 400 runners with a time of 26:06.0. He was 6th out of NSIC competitors. It was his second straight finish in the top 20 at Griak for the All-Region performer after placing 16th in 2021.
Tanner Maier (MSU) placed 10th at Griak with a time of 25:50.6.
Braxton Bruer (MSUM) placed 57th at the Roy Griak Invitational at the University of Minnesota in 26:40.2.
Nicholas Merillana (MINOT) led the way for the Beavers at the Roy Griak Invitational, clocking a career-best time of 25:55.9 on the men's 8K course, besting his previous fastest 8K by more than 2 minutes.
Aaron Voigt (USF) placed ninth at Griak with at time of 25:42.5 to help the Cougars to a third place finish, the best of all NSIC teams.
Andrew Metcalf (WSU) had the top time for Winona State at the prestigious Roy Griak Invite. He ran a time of 27:08 for WSU to finish 85th in the race. 

NSIC Men's Cross Country Athletes of the Week
9/7/22
Jacob Jensen - Minot State
9/13/22
Jackson Harrison - Northern State
9/27/22
Jackson Harrison - Northern State (2)

About the NSIC
The NSIC is a 16-team, 18-sport, NCAA Division II conference with institutions located in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The NSIC is a model Division II conference that uses high-level athletics competition to develop champions in the classroom and community while empowering student-athletes to be impactful and positive leaders. Formed in 1992 by the merger of the Northern Intercollegiate Conference (men’s league) and the Northern Sun Conference (women’s league), the NSIC has flourished over the past quarter century, maturing into a 16-team union of Upper Midwest colleges and universities. The NSIC has won 25 team national championships and crowned 96 individual national champions. For additional information, visit NorthernSun.org.

About NCAA Division II
The NCAA, the national governing body for college athletics, is a volunteer association of more than 1,000 colleges and universities that classify their athletics programs in one of three membership divisions. The 300+ institutions in NCAA Division II support a balanced approach in which student-athletes can earn scholarships based on their athletic ability, pursue their desired academic degree, and participate in all the campus and surrounding community have to offer. Division II student-athletes annually graduate at rates higher than their student body peers, and they have access to the best championships-participant ratio among the NCAA’s three divisions. Division II gives student-athletes the unique opportunity to compete in the classroom, on the field, in their career, for their causes, and on their terms. For additional information, visit NCAA.org.