Women Finish Third, Men Seventh Overall at UMAC Championship

 
BENSON, Minn. – The Bethany Lutheran cross country teams traveled to the Benson Golf Club on Saturday morning to compete in the 2016 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Championship meet. All nine teams in the UMAC competed in the Championship, with hopes of capturing the 2016 conference title.
 
The men's race began at 12 p.m. (noon) followed by the women's race at 1 p.m. On the men's side, the student-athletes ran an 8K course while the women competed on a shortened 6K course.
 
The Bethany women's cross country team was projected to finish fourth overall, as stated in the championship preview. The Vikings exceeded expectations and crossed the finish line with a third place team finish.
 
Team Results – Women:
1. St. Scholastica – 27 points
2. Minnesota-Morris – 74 points
3. Bethany Lutheran – 81 points
4. Wis.-Superior – 91 points
5. Northwestern – 123 points
6. Crown – 136 points
7. Martin Luther – 176 points
8. Northland – 235 points
9. North Central – 253 points
 
Bethany Individuals – Women:
(5) Megan Sauer – 24:02.1
(12) Morgan Sauer – 24:45.3
(14) Lydia Hildebrandt – 25:05.0
(22) Kirsten Elyea – 24:44.7
(28) Jemimah Cordes – 26:24.7
(48) Brianna Soutthivong – 28:00.8
(51) Megan Morehouse – 28:23.1
 
"The women had a huge day today, great season bests and personal records have been set. Megan Sauer led the team through the conference finish line one last time and was one of three Viking women to make all-conference. Megan finished fifth and all-conference first team, while Morgan Sauer and Lydia Hildebrandt both finished all-conference second team," stated head coach Michael Dunn. "These women have created a running culture as a team and we look forward to continuing our success in the future. The coaching staff is very proud of finishing in the top three in our conference and they deserve to enjoy this one."
 
The men's team was slated to finish the event in sixth place overall. The Vikings concluded the championship with a seventh place finish at the Benson Golf Club.
 
Team Results – Men:
1. Wis-Superior – 42 points
2. Martin Luther – 57 points
3. Minnesota-Morris – 67 points
4. St. Scholastica – 76 points
5. Northwestern – 83 points
6. Northland – 196 points
7. Bethany Lutheran – 200 points
8. North Central – 219 points
9. Crown – 260 points
 
Bethany Individuals – Men:
(35) David Luehring – 29:42.5
(36) Stefan Prince – 29:48.8
(40) Zach Dantzman – 30:11.8
(44) Lucas Malimanek – 30:30.6
(45) Nathan Birr – 30:49.2
(50) Jake Stratten – 32:57.9
(56) Nicolas Bruss – 35:55.1
 
"Although our men's team took seventh place, each athlete had season bests and we had multiple personal records," said Dunn. "The coaching staff is very proud of what these guys did today, and their constant improvement throughout the season."
 
Up Next:
Bethany will send several athletes to the NCAA Regional meet on November 12^th at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota.
 
To stay current with Vikings athletics this season, continue to visit www.blcvikings.com and follow @BLCvikings on Twitter. MEDIA: If you need further information, please feel free to contact Lucas Herd at 507-344-7856 or email lucas.herd@blc.edu.