Luke Siegle – Staff Writer

The Gustavus men’s and women’s cross country team headed to Lacrosse last Friday Oct. 15 to compete in their final meet before conference. Runners for both the men and women teams ran some of their lifetime personal records which led to top-five finishes for both teams. The high finishes for both are very encouraging, but they are determined to build off this meet and get even faster in the coming weeks.
The women’s cross country team finished fourth overall this past Friday, with Junior Elizabeth Donnelly racing her way to a 17th place finish with a personal record of 22:46.21 (6k race) to lead the Gusties. “We hit 5k and the last 800 and I was thinking, ok let’s go, and I started to push harder. When I got close to the finish line there was a huge pack of girls in front of me…and I got them right before the line which was fun,” Donnelly said.
Some other key runners for the women’s team were Senior Lily Engebretson who took 25th with a 22:57.57 time, First-year Evelyn Villalobos who placed 27th with a time of 22.59.97 and Junior Mackinzee Miest who finished in 28th with a time of 23:03.97. Rounding out the top five for the Gusties in 69th place was First-year Aubrey Mair who finished with a time of 24:04.70.
“Having our top three girls go under 23 minutes for the first time was really cool and we had a really solid pack which made it super fun,” Junior Mackinzee Miest said. Having that pack is something the Gustie women have really taken pride in this year, especially when it comes to their top 6 runners. “Our coach has been encouraging us to swarm people this year. So when we pass people we pass on both sides and move as a unit which is really cool,” said Miest.
Looking ahead to conference, the goal is to “roll into it, and run fast,” said Donnelly. Additionally, conference is special because it is the last time the team is allowed to bring all of their runners. Once they head to regionals they will only be able to take the top 8. “This team is like my family and we definitely lean on each other both inside and outside of cross country. I think we are going to have a really successful final season. I know we have another level and I can’t wait to see what we can do at conference, regionals, and hopefully nationals,” Miest said.

The men’s cross country team finished fifth overall in the meet behind the efforts of senior Andrew Stumbo who blazed through the course with an 8k time of 24:59.12. This time was one of the fastest times in Gustavus history and 5th overall in the meet. Junior Garet Grant and Senior Bryce Knutson also performed well with Grant placing 20th with a time of 25:30.24 and Knutson finishing in 23rd with a time of 25:38.0. Senior Casey Olson finished fourth for the Gusties and 49th overall with a time of 26:17.0. Sophomore Henry Hinchcliffe rounded out the top five with a 50th place finish overall and a time of 26:20.16. Another noteworthy performer for the Gusties was Freshman Tyler Smith who grinded out a time of 26:46.16, all while running with only one shoe after his other fell off early in the race.
“I thought the team performed really well given the point of the season. We competed well with a lot of schools that are nationally ranked and we finished higher than we have in a long time,” Knutson said after the race. This top finish for the Gusties is a huge accomplishment, but many of the runners have even bigger goals.

“The team mentality is that a conference championship is well within our grasp. There’s no reason it shouldn’t be us this year,” Knutson said.
That statement was echoed by Senior Josh Wilson.“This team is the most dedicated team I have seen in my past four years at Gustavus. It’s been inspiring to see everyone step up and every person is contributing and collaborating and working together,” Wilson said.
The Gustie men will look to continue working together and running faster for their goal of a conference championship and then hopefully regionals and nationals as the season comes to a close. “The resilience, goofiness, and energy of the group sets this team apart.” Knutson said when reflecting on the season so far.
As both the men’s and women’s teams enter their final stages of the season they are set up for success. Now it’s time to go execute, stride for stride with whoever they face. The conference meet will be held at St. Olaf on Oct. 30 at 11 a.m. for the men and 12 p.m. for the women.