SDSU SET FOR NCAA MIDWEST REGIONALS

MEET 7: South Dakota State at NCAA Midwest Regionals

When	Friday, Nov. 11 \| Women's Race @ 11:00 a.m. \| Men's Race @ noon
Where	Gans Creek Cross Country Course \| Columbia, MO
TV	Live Stream
Results	Live.PTTiming.com
Meet Notes	Information Page
Social Media	Twitter \| Facebook

BROOKINGS, SD – The South Dakota State University cross country squads head to south to Columbia, Missouri to continue their racing seasons at the NCAA Midwest Regionals on Friday at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course.

Competition kicks off at 11 a.m. with the women's 6k race, followed by the men's 10k race at noon.

34 women's teams and 30 men's team will be in competition on Friday, featuring familiar conference foes such as North Dakota State and South Dakota and top team from previous meets.

The top two teams in each of nine regions will advance to next week's NCAA Championships, with a selection process used to determine 13 at-large teams. In addition, the top four runners in each region not on a qualifying team will receive an invitation to the national meet.

LAST TIME OUT:

MEN
The South Dakota State University men's cross country team continued their record-breaking streak with their seventh consecutive Summit League Championship title on Saturday as every single runner scored a personal best time at the Ray Richards Golf Course.

"The men executed the race plan and really ran strong today. This is a veteran group that got after it today," said Rod DeHaven, Director of Track and Field and Cross Country.

Ben Olson led the way for the Jackrabbits as he was crowned league champion with a first place finish in a personal-best time of 22:56.1 that is now the fastest 8k time in Summit League history. He was also named the Men's Championship MVP.

Finishing just behind him was Joseph Minor-Williams, a former individual champion, who claimed the runner-up title in 23:04.2 for a personal best while Tom Breuckman clocked a 23:14.8 for a PR and fourth place.

Rounding out the scoring placers for the Jacks was Daniel Burkhalter and Josh Becker, who placed fifth (23:15.9, PR) and sixth (23:16.5, PR), respectively.

Max Selbach was next as he took 10^th place with a time of 23:32.0 for a PR. Lucas Caminiti finished in 12^th place with a personal-best time of 23:39.7 as Mason McDonald grabbed 15^th place in 23:56.4, which was a personal best.

Cormick Logue took 24^th place in a career-best 24:16.0 and, rounding out the SDSU finishers was Carter Knaus, who clocked a person-best 24:19.6 for 30^th place.

SDSU dominated the field by scoring 18 points for first place, as NDSU finished in second place with 64 points. St. Thomas was third with 78 points, North Dakota took fourth with 109 points and South Dakota scored 126 points for fifth place. Western Illinois (201 points), Oral Roberts (206 points) and Kansas City (207 points) round out the scoring teams.

WOMEN
Leah Hansen was crowned the individual champion for a third straight time as every runner scored a PR and the SDSU women's cross country team finished second at the Summit League XC Championships on Ray Richards Golf Course on Saturday.

Hansen, a junior from Willmar, Minn., clocked a blazing time of 20:01.9 for a personal best en route to her crown and was named the Women's Championship MVP.

She became the fourth SDSU runner to win the title three times in a row, joining the likes of Kristin Asp, Kiri Johnson and Sheena Dauer. Hansen also became the first woman to win the individual championship in Summit League history and now own the fastest 6k time in league history.

Mya Kizer clocked a personal-best time of 20:54.5 for 11^th place while Caitlin Bright trailed just behind, taking 13^th place in 20:57.7 for a PR. Claire Beckman (21^st, 21:22.2, PR) and Kayla Christopherson (22^nd, 21:23.4, PR) rounded out scoring for SDSU.

Nicole Greyer finished just outside the top 25 with her personal-best time of 21:28.9 for 26^th place. Emma Ecker was next for the Jacks as she took 29^th place in a time of 21:48.4 for a PR and Kadense Dooley clocked a 21:53.1 for 31^st place and a PR.

Malorie Schmoll also grabbed a personal best as she crossed the finish line in 22:02.7 for 34^th place and finally for the Jackrabbits was Grace Waage in 41^st place with a personal-best time of 22:19.8.

"The women ran a great race and competed with a lot of heart. We just got beat by a better team today," said Rod DeHaven, Director of Track and Field and Cross Country.

NDSU won the team title with 38 points, as SDSU took second with 68 points and North Dakota finished third with 100 points. St. Thomas was fourth with 133 points and South Dakota scored 139 points for fifth place. Kansas City (140 points), Omaha (157 points), Oral Roberts (202 points) and Western Illinois (213 points) round out the scoring teams.

REGIONAL RANKINGS: The Week Six Division I cross country rankings decided by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association were announced earlier this week with the Jackrabbit men maintaining their fourth place ranking in the Midwest Region for their highest ranking in program history as the SDSU women stayed in 15^th.

SDSU MEN AND WOMEN PICKED FIRST IN PRESEASON POLL: SDSU swept the 2022 preseason coaches' rankings for the cross country season following a 2021 campaign that saw the Jackrabbit women win the team title for the second straight time and the men win for a sixth straight time.

2022 SUMMIT LEAGUE MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY PRESEASON POLL

South Dakota State (7) – 49
North Dakota State – 37
St. Thomas – 36
North Dakota (1) – 33
South Dakota – 30
Kansas City – 15
Western Illinois – 13
Oral Roberts – 11

2022 SUMMIT LEAGUE WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY PRESEASON POLL

South Dakota State (8) – 64
North Dakota State (1) – 56
South Dakota – 47
North Dakota – 42
St. Thomas – 40
Kansas City – 25
Omaha – 20
Western Illinois – 17
Oral Roberts – 13

ATHLETES TO WATCH: Three Jackrabbits – two men and one woman – were recognized as Summit League Athletes to Watch

Joseph Minor-Williams, South Dakota State
Sr. | Minneapolis, Minn.

Garnered All-League first team honors with a sixth-place finish at the League championships, clocking an 8K time of 24:58.28
Took 41^st overall at the NCAA Midwest Regional after clocking a 10K personal-best time of 31:28.5 to help the Jacks to an eighth-place team finish

Ben Olson, South Dakota State
Sr. | Coon Rapids, Minn.

Earned All-League first team accolades after finishing runner-up behind teammate Gabe Peters at the 2021 League championships
Clocked a personal-best 8K time of 24:38.3 at the League championships
Finished 37^th overall at the NCAA Midwest Regional in the 10K with a time of 31:22.2

Leah Hansen, South Dakota State
Jr. | Willmar, Minn.

Repeated as the League's individual champion leading the Jackrabbits to their second women's title in a row
Won the League championships in a 6K time of 21:03.78
Helped the Jacks to a 13^th place finish at the NCAA Midwest Regional after finishing 21^stoverall with a 6K time of 21:15.67

A LOOK AHEAD: Should South Dakota State have any national qualifiers, the NCAA Cross Country Championships will be held on Nov. 19 in Stillwater, OK.

-GoJacks.com-

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