YANKTON, S.D. – This past Saturday, Midland University’s cross country teams competed in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Championship. Mount Marty University served as the host team at Fox Run Golf Course, a relatively flat course with a few hills. It was an unusually warm day for South Dakota in November with temperatures around 60 degrees and constant 20 miles per hour winds gusting to 30 mph at times.
With their full complement of runners, the Warriors had one of their best races of the year. The women placed 7th while the men were 4th as a team. Dordt University claims both the women’s and men’s team championships.
The Lady Warriors had all eight runners competing, with three finishing in the top 30 out of 94 total runners. Freshman Madilynn Edwards led the way finishing 13th overall with a final time of 19:46.54. Vivian Sanchez finished 26th (20:28.35) and Myia Johnson finished right behind Sanchez at 27th (20:31.43). To round out the runners were Emma Christianson finished 78th (23:50.49), Erin Kahnk finished 80th (24:30.03), Jaineily Ortiz finished 85th (25:33.32), Jaden Donley finished 90th (26:22.67) and Ally Muessel finished 91st (26:37.42).
“We were seeded eighth going in, and were able to finish seventh in the team race,” said head coach Daniel Gerber post-race. “Madilynn led the way for us. She was building throughout the race and continued to move up throughout. We won’t know her status on qualifying for nationals until the spring.”
In the men’s race, Midland had three of their six runners finish in the top 30 out of 86 runners. Jose Gonzalez helped guide the team, finishing 3rd overall with a final time of 26:30.38. Alex France finished 25th (27:59.78) and Christian McCafferty not far behind France with a 27th finish (28:04.99). To round out the runners were Daniel Olson finished 36th (28:39.15), Ross McMahon finished 61st (30:38.61) and Gabe Becher finished 66th (31:33.22).
“It really showed the determination and dedication that this group had this year with their finish,” added Coach Gerber on the men’s results. “It was essentially the same group that finished 7th last year, with the exception of a national qualifier from that group. They were able to work together and finish three spots higher this year. Jose ran a great race. Early on in the race, there was a group of about 15 runners all trying to feel each other out. He put himself in position and looked comfortable. As the race went, the group got smaller and smaller, with Jose eventually breaking free from two competitors near the end.”
With his finish, Gonzalez has qualified for the NAIA National Championships to be held in the spring. With a little bit of luck, Edwards could join him on the women’s side. With several teams from around the country moving their cross country seasons to the second semester, the championship field will be set after their respective conference meets. The championship meet is set for April 9, 2020 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
WOMEN’S RESULTS
MEN’S RESULTS
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