For Immediate Release
Tuesday, October 13, 2026
NSIC Media Relations

NSIC Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Week
Stella Rusch (Jr., St. Cloud, Minn. / St. Cloud Tech HS) - Winona State
- Earned her first career victory at the Lewis Crossover
- Won the 6k with a time of 21:13.40
- Led Winona State to a third place finish out of 26 teams competing 
- Named NSIC Cross Country Athlete of the Week for the third time this season (9/9/26 & 9/22/26)

Other Performers
Estee VerSteeg - (Concordia-St. Paul)    
- Finished in sixth place at the Lucian Rosa Invitational with a time of 22:48.8
- Recorded her best finish of the season in a field of 210 runners
- Best finish by a CSP women's runner since 2019
- Best finish by a CSP cross country runner since 2023
- Recorded a new CSP course record at the Wayne E. Dannehl Course
Tori Stepka (UMary)    
- Won the Yellowjackets/Battlin' Bears Open
- Finished the 6k course with a time of 21:40.4
- Led UMary to a team victory at the meet
- Has finished top-5 in all three of her races this season
Addison Bertrand (Wayne State)
- Posted top 10 finish at Dordt Holiday Inn Express Invite Saturday
- Was ninth in a field of 118 runners with time of 22:43.26 on 6,000-meter course

 
NSIC Women's Cross Country Athletes of the Week
9/9/26
Stella Rusch - Winona State
9/15/26
Tori Stepka - UMary
9/22/26
Stella Rusch - Winona State (2)
9/29/26
Lydia Franson - Jamestown
10/6/26
Lydia Franson - Jamestown (2)
10/13/26
Stella Rusch - Winona State (3)

About the NSIC
The NSIC is a 16-team, 18-sport, NCAA Division II conference with institutions located in 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 union of Upper Midwest colleges and universities. The NSIC has won 27 team national championships and crowned 128 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.