Men's Results | Women's Results

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Jovan Newsum (Glendale Heights, Ill.) has enjoyed a memorable sophomore season, as the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota sophomore has continually seen his times drop with each meet he's competed in.
 
And that trend continued on Saturday, as Newsum turned in his best performance of the season—when it mattered most.
 
Newsum toured the eight-kilometer Como Park Course in a team-best time of 26:06, while teammate Aaron Haley (Plainview, Minn.) was right on his heels—literally—posting a time of 26:07 to help the Cardinals to a seventh-place finish at the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships.
 
Fueled by the honorable-mention all-conference performances of Newsum and Haley, the Cardinals posted their highest conference championship team finish in coach Ward Berndt's 10 years at the helm.
 
"To have Jovan and Aaron finish that close, that high up, was huge for us," said Berndt. "We talked before the race that if everyone went out and did what they were supposed to do, we could finish as high as seventh—and that's exactly what happened.

"There's no question the one-two punch of Jovan and Aaron was the key."

St. Olaf earned its third straight men's conference title with a near-perfect performance, going 1-2-3-4-6 to easily outdistance runner-up Carleton, while St. Thomas, Saint John's and Hamline rounded out the top five.
 
Sherman Moga (Shoreview, Minn.) was the third Cardinal across the finish line, stopping the clock in 27:17, followed by Austin O'Hare (Rushford, Minn. / 27:20), Jase Pater (Adrian, Minn. / 27:35), Brandon Krogman (Owatonna, Minn. / 29:33) and Andy Meyer (Tucson, Ariz. / 29:55).
 
Katie Stolz (Forest Lake, Minn.) led the way for the Cardinal women, clocking a six-kilometer time of 23:38 to finish 35th individually and lead Saint Mary's to a 12th-place showing.
 
"The start of the race is so crucial, and we didn't get off to the start we needed to," Berndt said of his women's team. "We spent way too much time trying to pass people later in the race. I was happy with the effort—no question about that—we just needed to get off to a better start."

Carleton, led by Ruth Steinke's winning time of 21:28, captured the women's team title, edging St. Olaf by 16 points. St. Thomas finished third, with Saint Benedict and Macalester rounding out the top five.
 
Along with Stolz's 23:38, the Cardinals also got a 25:20 from Allie Thiel (Burr Ridge, Ill.), while Paige Schernecker (Manawa, Wis. / 25:26), Clare Siska (Rochester, Minn. / 25:42), Mary Hayes (Chicago, Ill. / 25:45), Bridget Hayes (Chicago, Ill. / 25:51) and Alicia Berkenes (26:05) rounded out the Cardinal lineup.
 
The Cardinals are now off until Nov. 15, when they travel to Pella, Iowa, to take part in the NCAA Central Regional.