While most students were preparing to return home for Thanksgiving, the Bears’ cross-country team was running in Colfax, Wisc., in the Division III Championships. The women’s team qualified for the event by virtue of their second place showing in the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships. Although the men’s squad failed to qualify for the event as a team, junior Greg Reindl qualified for the Nationals individually.
At Nationals, the Bears did not disappoint as the women’s team finished third in the event. The team’s third place finish was the highest ever for the Bears; their previous best was fourth place. The performance was especially notable considering the team failed to qualify for the event last year. In 2003, senior Maggie Grabow was the only team member sent to the meet. Out of 24 teams, the women’s team finished behind first place Williams College and runner-up Middlebury College.
Grabow again led the women’s team in the meet, finishing 40th with a time of 22:32. Following close behind were freshman Tyler Mulkin and sophomore Elizabeth Herndon, who finished 42nd and 43rd, respectively. Junior Stephanie Felz finished 50th while sophomore Lindsay Harkema came in 107th.
Meanwhile, in men’s competition, Calvin College placed first and was followed by North Central College and Wisconsin-La Crosse in second and third place, respectively. Running individually in his first Nationals appearance, Reindl finished 55th with a time of 25:34.
The women’s strong showing at Nationals capped off another extremely successful season for the Bears. The women’s team captured the University Athletic Association (UAA) Championship for the third year in a row while the men’s team finished second in the UAA. In addition to the women’s second place finish in the Midwest Regionals, the men finished eighth out of a field of 30.
With the women’s team returning their second through fifth place runners (they will unfortunately lose their top runner, Grabow), the squad can expect more of the same kind of results next year. Similarly, the men’s team will return its top two runners Reindl and junior Brennan Bonner.