PELLA, Iowa — Talk about a storybook ending.
 
Katie Stolz (Forest Lake, Minn.) toed the line for her final collegiate cross country race Saturday at the NCAA Central Regional—and the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota senior made saved her best for last.
 
Literally.
 
Stolz broke her own six-kilometer school record, stopping the clock in 22.51—nearly 30 seconds faster than her previous mark, set at last season's Central Regional—en route to a 35th-place finish and her second straight all-region performance.
 
But Stolz wasn't the only Cardinal in a record-setting mood on Saturday, as Jovan Newsum (Glendale Heights, Minn.) shattered the Cardinal men's 8K school record, placing 25th overall—and earning his first all-region honor—with a time of 25:40.
 
"It was a great day, especially for Katie and Jovan," said Saint Mary's coach Ward Berndt, whose men placed 15th in the 27-team field, while the Cardinal women were 21st. "The conditions were really tough, but I thought everyone handled it pretty well.
 
"Ten of our 14 competitors turned in lifetime PRs, so you really can't ask for much more than that."
 
Aaron Haley (Plainview, Minn.)—who had owned the school's school record prior to Newsum's effort Saturday—was the second Cardinal across the finish line, touring the 8K course in 26:07. It marked the second straight meet Newsum and Haley finished 1-2 for Saint Mary's—the duo clocked times of 26:06 and 26:07, respectively to earn honorable-mention All-MIAC honors at the conference championships two weeks ago.
 
Austin O'Hare (Rushford, Minn. / 27:27), Jase Pater (Adrian, Minn. / 27:45), Brandon Krogman (Owatonna, Minn. / 28:32), Andy Meyer (Tucson, Ariz. / 29:04), and Andrew Markert (St. Paul, Minn. / 29:28) rounded out the Cardinals' top seven.
 
Defending national champion St. Olaf—fueled by five runners in the top eight—blew away the rest of the men's field, beating runner-up Loras by 57 points to win the team title. The Oles' Grant Wintheiser won individual honors, stopping the clock in 24:13.
 
Allie Thiel (Burr Ridge, Ill.) was second to Stolz for the Cardinal women with a 6K time of 24:40, followed by Bridget Hayes (Chicago, Ill. / 25:05), Paige Schernecker (Manawa, Wis. / 25:18), Alicia Berkenes (25:30), Mary Hayes (Chicago, Ill. / 25:33), and Jessie Burns (Chanhassen, Minn. / 26:22).
 
Carleton won the women's team title, edging fellow MIAC rival St. Olaf by 21 points. The Knights' Ruth Steinke was crowned the region's individual champion, crossing the finish line in 21:16.

Men's Results | Women's Results