ST. PAUL, Minn. – The 2009 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships will take place Saturday, October 31 at Como Park Golf Course. The women's race is scheduled to begin at 2:15 p.m. with the men's race to follow at 3:15 p.m. The 2009 Championships are hosted by the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University.
Five of the top 10 women's teams in the Central Region will take to the course at this year's conference championships. A year after being edged by St. Thomas by two points for the MIAC title and beating Carleton by three points, Bethel enters the championship as the No. 1-ranked team in the region, while also earning the No. 14 ranking in the latest national poll. Carleton (No. 4 in the region, No. 20 in the nation) will pose a threat to the Royals for the team title, as will St. Thomas (fifth in the region, 23rd in the nation). Other regionally ranked MIAC teams include St. Olaf at No. 7 and Gustavus at No. 10.
In 2008, the MIAC women's team title was decided by one of the smallest margins of all time. In 2009, it could be the men's turn for an extremely close team race. Of the five MIAC men's teams ranked in the Central Region, none has set themselves apart from the pack. St. Thomas has the highest ranking (3rd in the region and 22nd in the nation), but will face fierce competition for the top spot in the conference. St. Olaf (5th), Saint John's (6th), Augsburg (7th), and Hamline (8th) are all close behind the Tommies in the regional rankings. Last season, St. Olaf, Hamline, and St. Thomas were the top three finishers in the MIAC team race.
Last year's MIAC and NCAA Division III National Championships winner Marie Borner, a senior from Bethel, returns for her final MIAC Championship after winning the MIAC race last season by 45 seconds. Bethel junior Alex Potter and Carleton sophomore Simone Childs-Walker finished second and third last year and will likely pose the biggest threats to Borner. Other returning All-Conference runners from 2008 include: Concordia junior Hailey Brenden, Hamline senior Margot Branigan, Carleton senior Laura Roach, Gustavus junior Brooke Beskau, Saint Benedict sophomore Kaycee Knutson, St. Thomas senior Kelly Russ, Macalester senior Erin Lowrey, and Bethel junior Kristin Mork.
Seven MIAC men's all-conference runners return from 2008, including St. Olaf junior Duboul Ruon, last year's individual champion. Bethel senior Dan Greeno (fourth in 2008) has had a strong fall campaign and will compete with Ruon for the title. Augsburg's Brent Haglund, Hamline's Ian Bauer, Carleton's Charlie Gamble, and Macalester's Wade Ekstrom finished seventh through tenth last year and all four seniors should contend for first place at their final MIAC Championship. St. Thomas sophomore Ben Sathre, the Tommies' top runner, is the final All-Conference returnee after he placed 14th in 2008.
