Cross Country 11/1/03 -- 2003 MIAC Championships at Como Park GC, St. Paul, Minn.

COMPLETE WOMEN'S RESULTS -- CLICK HERE
COMPLETE MEN'S RESULTS -- CLICK HERE
MEET PHOTOS -- CLICK HERE
AUGSBURG-SPECIFIC STORY -- CLICK HERE

ST. PAUL, Minn. (11/1/03) -- Carleton College's Matt Hooley and Macalester College's Koby Hagen earned men's and women's individual conference championships, and the University of St. Thomas men and the Gustavus Adolphus College women earned team championships at the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Cross Country Championship meet at the Como Park Golf Course on Saturday afternoon.

With three runners earning All-MIAC honors, Gustavus won its first-ever women's team championship with 68 points. St. Olaf was second with 80 points, St. Thomas was third with 105 points and Carleton was fourth with 106.

On the men's side, St. Thomas won its 23rd conference team championship -- the most of any MIAC school, and its third championship in the last four years. St. Thomas had five runners earn All-MIAC honors. Defending conference champion Carleton was second with 56 points, St. Olaf was third with 66 points and Macalester was fourth with 100 points.

In a tight race on the women's side, Hagen, a sophomore, claimed the conference crown by five seconds over Gustavus senior Jen Skalko, who earned All-MIAC honors for the second time in her career. Hagen finished the 5,000-meter women's race in 18-minutes, 46-seconds, while Skalko finished in 18:51. St. Thomas junior Nicole Gurgel finished third in 18:52 and Gustavus junior Nichole Petersen was fourth in 18:55.

Hagen is the first Macalester runner to win an individual conference championship in cross country since 1986, the final year of three straight conference titles for Julia Kirtland (1984-86).

Hooley claimed the men's conference title for the first time by 15 seconds, finishing the 8,000-meter men's race in 25:32. Hooley, a senior, earned All-MIAC honors for the third season in a row, after finishing third in 2002 and fourth in 2001.

St. Thomas senior Nate Coleman was second in 25:47, St. Olaf junior Kelly Fulton was third in 25:52 and Carleton junior Dan Bucy was fourth in 26:01.

Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Cross Country Championships
Nov. 1, 2003 at Como Park Golf Course, St. Paul, Minn.

Men's Results (8,000 meters):
Team Results: 1. St. Thomas 42; 2. Carleton 56; 3. St. Olaf 66; 4. Macalester 100; 5. St. John's 124; 6. Hamline 143; 7. Augsburg 205; 8. Gustavus Adolphus 239; 9. Concordia-Moorhead 246; 10. Bethel 265; 11. St. Mary's 308.
All-MIAC (Top 15): 1. Matt Hooley (Sr., Carleton), 25:32; 2. Nate Coleman (Sr., St. Thomas) 25:47; 3. Kelly Fulton (Jr., St. Olaf) 25:52; 4. Dan Bucy (Jr., Carleton) 26:01; 5. Sam Hauck (So., St. Olaf) 26:04; 6. Brock Stepan (Jr., St. Thomas) 26:08; 7. Malcolm Richards (Jr., St. Olaf) 28:09; 8. John Schwerkoske (So., St. Thomas) 26:10; 9. Nick Myran (Jr., Concordia) 26:11; 10. Aaron Bumgarner (Sr., St. John's) 26:12; 11. Tim Smit (So., St. John's) 26:15; 12. Sean Brenckman (Sr., St. Thomas) 26:21; 13. Bo Rydze (Jr., Macalester) 26:22; 14. Will Hawthorne (Fr., St. Thomas) 26:22; 15. Chris Lundberg (Jr., Carleton) 26:27.
Honorable Mention All-MIAC (16-25): 16. Roscoe Sopiwnik (So., Macalester) 26:29; 17. Phil Schrader (Sr., Carleton) 26:33; 18. Eric Olson (Jr., Macalester) 26:34; 19. Steve Harris (So., Carleton) 26:40; 20. Peder Arneson (Sr., St. Olaf) 26:41; 21. Jeff Metzdorff (So., Hamline) 26:43; 22. Tony Klappa (Fr., Hamline) 26:44; 23. Travis Bristow (Fr., Hamline) 26:46; 24. Tristan Christ (Sr., St. Thomas) 26:48; 25. Jordan Selbo (So., Macalester) 26:50.

Women's Results (5,000 meters):
Team Results: 1. Gustavus Adolphus 68; 2. St. Olaf 80; 3. St. Thomas 105; 4. Carleton 106; 5. St. Benedict 133; 6. Macalester 144; 7. Hamline 178; 8. Concordia-Moorhead 228; 9. St. Mary's 252; 10. Bethel 266; 11. Augsburg 278; 12. St. Catherine 308.
All-MIAC (Top 15): 1. Koby Hagen (So., Macalester) 18:46; 2. Jen Skalko (Sr., Gustavus) 18:51; 3. Nicole Gurgel (Jr., St. Thomas) 18:52; 4. Nichole Petersen (Jr., Gustavus) 18:55; 5. Leah Wurm (So., St. Benedict) 19:04; 6. Brigid Power (Jr., St. Thomas) 19:05; 7. Erin Bengston (So., St. Olaf) 19:07; 8. Keidra Anderson (So., Hamline) 19:13; 9. Lisa Owen (Sr., Concordia) 19:15; 10. Amy Lyons (Fr., Bethel) 19:17; 11. Tasha Pike (Jr., Gustavus) 19:17; 12. Cindy Blendermann (Sr., St. Benedict) 19:17; 13. Melissa Grunst (Sr., Carleton) 19:18; 14. Andrea Grunst (Sr., Carleton) 19:18; 15. Ellen Waldow (So., Augsburg) 19:24.
Honorable Mention All-MIAC (16-25): 16. Kari Koos (So., St. Olaf) 19:26; 17. Erin Weier (Fr., St. Olaf) 19:27; 18. Marit Grorud (Sr., St. Olaf) 19:29; 19. Chelsea Guettinger (So., St. Thomas) 19:30; 20. Ellen Koranda (So., St. Mary's) 19:30; 21. Laura Hudson (Jr., Carleton) 19:30; 22. Brenna Bray (So., St. Olaf) 19:31; 23. Corrin Hoffman (Sr., Hamline) 19:31; 24. Ali Cordie (Jr., Gustavus) 19:35; 25. Lindsay Boetcher (So., St. Olaf) 19:36.

Meet Preview:

MEET PREVIEW/PROGRAM (ADOBE ACROBAT PDF FILE) -- CLICK HERE

ST. PAUL, Minn. (11/1/03) -- Nearly 500 runners will be competing conference individual and team cross country championships on Saturday afternoon, as the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference hosts its annual cross country championship meet at the Como Park Golf Course. The women's 5,000-meter race will begin at 2 p.m., with the men's 8,000-meter race to begin at 3 p.m.

St. Olaf has won the last five MIAC women's team championships in a row, but will face strong challenges from St. Benedict, Carleton, Gustavus and St. Thomas. St. Benedict is ranked 25th in the most recent NCAA Division III women's cross country national poll.

On the men's side, defending conference champion Carleton and perennial contender St. Thomas will be the favorites for the title, along with St. Olaf and St. John's. St. Thomas is ranked 14th in the most recent NCAA Division III men's national poll, with Carleton ranked 16th.

Twenty of the top 25 women's runners from last year's conference meet return, including Gustavus junior Nichole Petersen, who finished third last year; St. Benedict sophomore Leah Wurm, who finished fourth last year; and St. Olaf's Kari Koos and Marit Grorud, who finished fifth and sixth respectively.

The men's race will feature 12 runners who finished among the top 25 last year, including Carleton senior Matt Hooley, who finished third last year;teammate Dan Bucy, a junior who finished fourth; St. Olaf junior Kelly Fulton, who finished fifth; and St. Thomas senior Nate Coleman, who finished 10th last year.