Men's Results | Women's Results | GameDay Preview

NORTHFIELD, Minn. — Saint Mary's University of Minnesota cross country coach Ward Berndt had a good feeling about Saturday's NCAA Central Regional.
 
After watching his Cardinals in general—and Jovan Newsum (Glendale Heights, Ill.) in particular—Berndt expected the regular-season ending meet to be a good one.
 
It was—and then some.
 
And no Cardinal was better than Newsum, who turned in the second-fastest time in Cardinal men's cross country program history—and all but assured himself of a second trip to the NCAA National Championships—to lead the Cardinal men to a 17^th-place showing.
 
Newsum, coming off his first First-Team All-MIAC performance two weeks ago by placing third overall with a then-season-best time of 26:08, made that conference championship effort look like a walk in the part on Saturday—touring the eight-kilometer course in 25:38 en route to a sixth-place finish and all-region honor.
 
Like Newsum, Molly Sweet (Prescott, Wis.) picked an opportune time to post her collegiate best time—by a long shot—posting a time of 24:27 to lead the Saint Mary's women to a 23^rd-place showing.
 
"Jovan ran a great race," said Berndt, noting that, while the NCAA will officially notify all national championship qualifiers once all the regionals are complete, Newsum's sixth-place effort makes him a virtual shoo-in. "He had a very good performance at the conference championships and it just carried over to today.
 
"I'm happy for Jovan—it's a great way to cap his collegiate career."
 
Austin O'Hare was the second Cardinal across the finish line, posting a time of 26:25 to place 44^th, while Sherman Moga (Shoreview, Minn. / 27:45), Brandon Krogman (Owatonna, Minn. / 28:20), Ben Borash (Bowlus, Minn. / 29:09), and Marlon Barrett-Dwyer (Chicago, Ill. / 32:38) rounded out the Saint Mary's lineup.

Danielle Franke (Mounds View, Minn.) finished right behind Sweet for the Saint Mary's women, crossing the finish line in 24:32, followed by Erika Thiel (Burr Ridge, Ill. / 25:10), Alicia Berkenes (Buffalo, Minn. / 26:14), Alyssa Thiel (Berlin, Wis. / 26:29), Emily Ortiz (Albert Lea, Minn. / 26:55), and Paige Schernecker (Manawa, Wis. / 27:23)
 
Loras' Mason Tope won the men's event, breaking the tape in 25:16 to edge out Luther's Isaac Jensen by three seconds. Saint John's Ryan Bugler—the only runner from the MIAC to place higher than Newsum—was third with a timew of 25:34, followed by Central's Mark Fairley (25:36), UW-Superior's Jackson Lindquist (25:37), and Newsum (25:38).
 
Fueled by Tope's first-place individual finish, Loras also captured the team title, finishing with 101 points to easily outdistance runner-up Wartburg (117). St. Olaf (128), Nebraska Wesleyan (139), and Luther (179) rounded out the top five.
 
Loras' Audrey Miller completed the Duhawk individual sweep, winning the women's race with a 6K time of 21:19, well in front of runner-up Abrah Masterson of Cornell, who stopped the clock in 21:35. St. Scholastica's Casey Hovland was third (21:37), with Ashlyn Bagge of Wartburg (22:11) and Kimber Meyer of Macalester (22:11) rounding out the top five.
 
St. Olaf captured the women's title, finishing with 91 points, edging Nebraska Wesleyan by 19 points. St. Thomas placed third (112), followed by Carleton (162) and Wartburg (178).
 
For NCAA national meet selection, each region receives two automatic team bids into the 32-team field, with the other 16 teams earning at-large bids. Once the team slots are filled, the top seven individuals from each regional meet—who are not a member of one of the 32 advancing teams—also earn a national championships invitation. The NCAA committee announces the field after the last regional meet is completed and contacts the institutions of advancing teams and individuals the following day.