October 15, 2005

Season Update: Dana’s men’s and women’s cross country teams competed at the Mt. Marty Invitational on Saturday in Crofton, Nebraska. There were 16 teams competing in the women’s race, which included 14 teams from NAIA Region III, and eight teams from the GPAC. Dana will run in the Region III national qualifying meet on November 5 in Sioux Falls, S.D.

Breakthrough: Dana’s women’s squad turned many heads at the Mt. Marty Invitational, finishing in a tie for sixth place with the University of Sioux Falls. The tie-breaker in cross country is a team’s sixth runner; USF only ran five runners, thus giving Dana the edge in the standings. Dana finished second among GPAC schools, and beat eight Region III teams.

Tough Course: The Mt. Marty Invitational, typically known as one of the region’s faster courses, was moved across the Missouri River this year, due to facility issues in Yankton, S.D. The course in Crofton was eerily similar to the brutal home course at Dana College. Times were much slower than previous years, as runners were challenged hill after hill at Lakeview Golf Course.

Women run strong, short one runner: Dru McMillan (4th Yr, Gillette, WY) ran to a 27th place finish with a 21:23, just seven spots shy of earning a t-shirt. Senior Lindsey Bliemeister (4th Yr, West Point, NE) finished exactly one minute behind McMillan, with a time of 22:23, good for 51st place. The women’s team was without Tabbi Kabala (2nd Yr, Davenport, IA), who is recovering from an injury. Kabala has finished in the top 5 on Dana’s squad every meet this fall, and Dana relied heavily on its depth to pull through. Freshman Amy Jackman (1st Yr, Seward, NE) ran to a 61st place finish with a 22:37, her strongest race of the year. Jen Anderson (2nd Yr, Lincoln, NE) and Alyssa Mueller (1st Yr, Seward, NE) rounded out Dana’s scoring with 72nd and 73rd place finishes, with times of 23:07 and 23:10, respectively. Freshman Christine Galata (1st Yr, Omaha/Marian) ran a breakthrough race with a personal best 24:08, good enough for 96th place. Just three places behind Galata was senior Krystal Cary (4th Yr, Underwood, IA), who finished with a time of 24:20. Freshman Tina Castle (1st Yr, Farragut, IA) used her 400 meter speed to pass four runners in the last 100 meters, finishing in 24:57, good for 106th place.

Men look tough: Junior John Kaup (3rd Yr, Grand Island, NE) led the Dana men with a 12th place finish with a 28:01, earning him a coveted t-shirt. Sophomore Eric Bane (2nd Yr, Oakland, IA) moved well through the field, placing 33rd with a 29:15. Junior Greg Rickenbacher (3rd Yr, Tacoma, WA) ran his strongest race of the year, placing 88th with a 30:59. Freshman Billie Sidebottom (1st Yr, Council Bluffs, IA) sat out the invite, resting an injury.

Weekly Quote from the coach: “We just began our first week of peaking, and wow did our runners respond! There was so much talk of how difficult this course was, and I was excited to see our athletes brush off all the hype. We’ve trained all year on the toughest course in the country, and its effects are beginning to show. Three Dana runners ran their fastest times of the year on this challenging course. All of our runners moved really well through the field. In two weeks, our women’s team will be in strong contention.”

GPAC meet next: Dana will travel to the GPAC meet Oct. 29, hosted by Dakota Wesleyan in Mitchell, S.D. The conference meet will serve as a tune-up for the NAIA Region III national qualifying meet in Sioux Falls, Nov. 5.

Complete Women’s results can be found at: http://www.dana.edu/cross_country/stats/MMCwomen_05.htm

Complete Men’s results can be found at: http://www.dana.edu/cross_country/stats/MMCmen_05.htm

For more information, contact:
Leslie Rasmussen, sports information director, (402) 426-7298, lrasmuss@dana.edu
— or —
Shad Beam, assistant sports information director, (402) 426-7389, sbeam@dana.edu