SDSU 4th & 6th against Big 10 & Summit League Foes

Saturday, September 15

Lincoln, Neb.

9 a.m.

South Dakota State University

Woody Greeno Invitational

9/15/2018 12:44:00 PM | Cross Country, Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country

Performance List: MXC 2018 Performance List: WXC 2018 Live Results: Woody Greeno 2018

The men's team finishes fourth overall (104) and women finish sixth overall (144) as King and Peters lead the way

LINCOLN, Neb. - The South Dakota State cross country teams wrapped up competition at the Woody Greeno Invitational on Saturday morning. The men finished fourth (104 points) in the University Division standings while the women scored a sixth-place finish (144 points).

Leading off were the women, who competed against three Big Ten teams and four other Summit League foes. In all, there were six regionally ranked teams, including Michigan who are ranked No. 12 nationally, at Mahoney Golf Course, the 2018 Big Ten cross country championship site. The Jackrabbits were able to pull away from Air Force (finished 10th), who is ranked eighth in the Mountain Region, according to USTFCCCA.

The men followed, also competing against three Big Ten schools and three other Summit League contenders. The field was also stacked with regionally ranked competition (Midwest region: Minnesota - No. 4, won; Iowa - No. 8, runner-up; Nebraska - No. 9 - third). SDSU managed to beat North Dakota State (sixth, 139), South Dakota (eighth, 239), and North Dakota (ninth, 265).

Competition was tough, but so was the course and weather conditions, reach as high as 80 degrees with 70 percent humidity before the men's race. Even after the meet directors moved the schedule ahead an hour in anticipation of the heat.

"There was decent competition at the meet today," said head coach Rod DeHaven. "The course was a little more challenging than expected and the heat was a factor. You could see many of the runners were already dripping with sweat before the race started."

MEN
The men's team, the fourth-place finishing team in Mahoney Golf Course, had sophomore Gabe Peters lead the way - placing eight overall with a personal-best mark in the 8k (25:12.9). He was the first non-Big 10 student-athlete across the finish line. He beat his previous-best by 15.4 seconds, set back at the 2017 Pre-National Invite in Louisville, Ky. It was his first race in the blue and yellow where he lead the team.

Sophomore Micah Mather (25:36.7) and redshirt freshman Michael Schwinghamer (25:39.5) finished behind Peters, going 17th and 18th with a 3.2-second gap. Both of them recorded personal-best marks, beating there 2017 SDSU Classic 8k-marks - Mather by 3.7 seconds and Schwinghamer by 1:15.5 minutes.

Redshirt freshman Alexander Auch rounded out the top 30 for the Jackrabbits with a 29th-place finish (25:54.1). His mark is his best attached-8k mark.

Junior Lukas Nelson returned to the cross country course for the first time this season, finishing 34th (26:07.1), while sophomore Evan Fick notched a personal-best mark (26:19.9) in a 43rd-place attempt.

Freshmen Joseph Minor-Williams, Ben Olson, and Thomas Breuckman all recorded their first collegiate 8k marks. Minor-Williams placed 56th (26:41.0), Olson posted 58th (26:41.1) and Breuckman finished 62nd (26:57.6).

Four Jackrabbits recorded their best season-opening 8k-marks: junior Sam Ivanecky (60th, 26:54.1) beat his 2017-opening 8k at the Roy Griak (27:34.3), sophomore Ray Munserman (66th, 27:02.8) beat his 2017 Griak mark (28:29.9), junior Chandler Klawitter (67th, 27:17.9) beat 2016 (28:44.6) and 2017 (27:50.60) starting 8k-marks, and sophomore Jacob Wilts (75th, 27:58.0) beat his 2017 Griak mark (29:18.1).

"I think the men's team ran well and smart considering the heat and course," said DeHaven. "The second-half of the race went well, especially for the middle pack, and we recorded quite a few PR's despite the conditions."

WOMEN
Senior Rachel King led the Jackrabbits, placing 14th overall (22:00.4) in her first race attempt of the season. She was the third Summit League student-athlete to cross the finish line. It is her best start of a season in the 6k (previous-best 6k starts - 2015: 22:44.3, 2016: 22:46.7, 2017: 23:30.9).

Junior Emily Donnay returned to the cross country course after redshirting her 2017 season. She finished two places ahead of her younger sister, sophomore Anna Donnay, for 32nd overall (22:31.2). Her mark was her first since 2016 and it beat her 2016 starting 6k-mark of 22:48.9 set at the Oz Memorial.

Anna Donnay placed 34th (22:35.2) in her first 6k of the season and is her fourth-fastest mark of her career (beat the 2017 Oz Memorial and Roy Griak marks).

Junior Anna Fasen finished 89th overall (24:04.3) and notched a personal-best mark in the 6k, beating her 2016 Bradley Classic mark of 24:21.5.

Seniors Mackenzie Schell (41st, 22:48.1) and Emily Berzonsky (72nd, 23:38.3) notched their first marks of the season, with Schell making it her fastest 6k-mark to start a season and Berzonsky beating all season-first 6k's but her 2017 season opener.

Freshmen Ellie Friesen (45th, 23:01.9), Bailey Dergan (111th, 24:53.6), Tori Glazier (121st, 25:29.9), Elise Emmick (122nd, 25:31.8), and Jessica Christoffer (123rd, 25:36.2) all recorded their first 6k marks as Jackrabbits.

Juniors Kendra Dykstra (74th, 23:42.1), Emma Nelson (90th, 24:04.5), and Jamie Schweiss (93rd, 24:09.8) all added their first 6k's of the season - which are their best season-opening 6k's to kick off a season.

"This race felt like a season-opener for the women's team," DeHaven explained. "There were a lot of positive things we did and things we can look forward to as we get better throughout the season."

UP NEXT
The Jackrabbits will be off a weekend (weekend of Sept. 22) and then return to action at the 33rd annual Roy Griak Invitational in Falcon Heights, Minn. on Saturday, Sept. 29th. The meet at the Les Bolstad Golf Course, is one of the largest meets in the country that includes six collegiate races and four high school races. Action begins with the Suzy Wilson Women's Maroon III (Division III) Competition at 9 a.m. NCAA DI action, the races Jackrabbits will compete in, will begin with the men's 8k at 11:10 a.m. and the women's 6k following at 12:15 p.m.

SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on the South Dakota State cross country teams, follow the Jackrabbits on Twitter (@GoJacksTFXC) and Instagram (@GoJacksTFXC), and like us on Facebook (/GoJacksTFXC).

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS - For Team Results & More Stats: MEN | WOMEN
MEN - Fourth (104 Points)
8. Peters, Gabe (25:12.9) - PR
17. Mather, Micah (25:36.7) - PR
18. Schwinghamer, Michael (25:39.5 - PR
29. Auch, Alexander (25:54.1)
34. Nelson, Lukas (26:07.1)
43. Fick, Evan (26:19.9) - PR
56. Minor-Williams, Joseph (26:41.0)
58. Olson, Ben (26:43.1)
60. Ivanecky, Sam (26:54.1)
62. Breuckman, Thomas (26:57.6)
66. Munsterman, Ray (27:02.8)
67. Klawitter, Chandler (27:17.9)
75. Wilts, Jacob (27:58.0)

WOMEN - Sixth (144 Points)
14. King, Rachel (22:00.4)
32. Donnay, Emily (22:31.2)
34. Donnay, Anna (22:35.2)
41. Schell, Mackenzie (22:48.1)
45. Friesen, Ellie (23:01.9)
72. Berzonsky, Emily (23:38.3)
74. Dykstra, Kendra (23:42.1)
89. Fasen, Anna (24:04.3) - PR
90. Nelson, Emma (24:04.5)
93. Schweiss, Jamie (24:09.8)
111. Dergan, Bailey (24:53.6)
121. Glazier, Tori (25:29.9)
122. Emmick, Elise (25:31.8)
123. Christoffer, Jessica (25:36.2)

-GoJacks.com-