The Gustavus Men and Women’s Cross Country Teams traveled to Northfield, Minn. last weekend to attend the St. Olaf Invitational. The Women’s team finished fifth of 16 teams, and the Men’s team finished sixth of 14 teams.
For the women’s team, Junior Music Major Beth Hauer was the top Gustavus performer, finishing 13th of 325 racers with a time of 23:17. Three other Gusties earned a spot in the top thirty: Junior Spanish Major Kate Eggers finished 19th, Senior Communication Arts and Literary Teaching Major Brooke Beskau finished 22nd and Rebecca Hare placed 27th.
“We had a hard week of training, but everyone was ready to race on Saturday, and most of the girls were happy with their races,” Senior Captain and Chemistry Major Kim Rostvold said. “It always takes a few meets to get back into race mentality, but I think we’re there.”
For the men’s team, Senior Psychology Major Mark Bartley recorded the best time for Gustavus at 26:19 for tenth place. The next-best time for the men’s team came from First-year Dillon Emo, who finished in 23rd place with a time of 26:49.
“We got sixth, and that’s the best we’ve performed at that race in quite a while,” Senior Captain and Nursing Major Anders Bowman said. “A couple guys who have been slumping stepped up so it was a very positive day for us.”
Head Coach Dale Bahr was also enthusiastic about the strong finish, which Gustavus earned despite racing without Bowman, who has been battling injury.
“We finished third at St. John’s for both men and women, and I don’t think that was a very good reflection of where the team is at. We’re a little banged up, but I’m very optimistic about our team and where we’re going this year,” Bahr said.
While both the men and women’s squads ran well, Bahr is still very much focused on improving before the MIAC Conference Meet.
“I look forward to the Conference Meet, where we are judged and have to do our best. We think we have a much stronger group than last year, but looking at other teams in the MIAC, they all seem to have reloaded as well,” Bahr said.
The rigors of a cross country season takes it’s toll on all the runners as many are already ailing with nagging injuries. More important is the mental aspect of the sport, proving that it is exceedingly important to remain positive.
“When you’re racing every weekend it gets taxing. I think what we do is remain positive and we don’t think of it as a chore. Running can be fun, so we try and have a good time,” Bowman said.
“They’re out there as individuals, but we drive them to do well with a team aspect in mind. The harder they run, the harder the team runs. It’s an individual sport with a team focus,” Bahr said.
It’s that team dynamic that makes the long, grinding season more bearable for everyone.
“We develop team unity naturally by pushing each other through hard workouts and races. I think we’re a close team because of the toughness of the sport,” Rostvold said.
The Cross Country teams have this weekend off, but will be back in action on Sept 30 when they travel to Eau-Claire, Wis. for the Blugold Invitational. The MIAC conference championships are held in Como Park in St. Paul, Minn. the weekend of Oct. 29, 2011.
“The next three meets are big invitationals. Our biggest challenge is staying healthy through conference and nationals,” Bahr said. If they can keep everyone healthy and continue to improve as they have, Gustavus could very well make some noise in the MIAC this year.