Staff Writer- Alayna Boe
This past Saturday, Oct. 31st, the Gustavus cross country team went to Northfield to compete in the MIAC Cross Country Championships. St. Olaf hosted on their course, so it was familiar to the Golden Gusties as they ran there earlier in the season. This familiarity helped with knowing where to push and knowing when to settle into the race.
Both the men’s and the women’s teams had great performances down in Northfield. These teams train together and see each other everyday, so competing in the same meets is super beneficial to morale. Another reason the Gusties were so boosted is because the track & field team drove down to support their fellow teammates. This demonstrates the community that is Gustavus Adolphus College and how the teams all support each other.
The women’s Cross Country team finished in 7th and Sophomore Addison Enfield led the Gusties, earning MIAC Honorable Mention by placing 22nd. “The race for me felt a bit harder than normal. I was dealing with some bad abdomen pain and the ground was super soggy from all the rain we have gotten recently. Overall, the times were slow across the board because of the wet conditions. I think the pain in my abdomen and the mental hurdle I had to jump over when that arose was what made the race so much more difficult for me that day,” Enfield expressed.
Overall, the women competed strongly. Out of the five scorers, four of them were Sophomores. Earlier in the season this Sophomore squad had quick success, so it is good to see that it was maintained throughout. First-year Samantha Shibata was the last scorer for the Gusties and placed 67th. This gave the team a seventh place finish, and room to go up in the conference next year.
Even though some are looking to next season, there is still a lot of this season remaining. Regions are on Nov. 14th, so some are training for that. Enfield is one who is training for this race and is preparing for her next two seasons as a Gustie.
“Next season, I’m excited to continue to develop our team since we are very young in comparison to other MIAC schools. I’m hoping we can place 3rd again in the MIAC like we did last season and hopefully shoot for a Nationals Qualification during my time on the team!” Enfield emphasized.
The men’s Cross team also found success in Northfield. The team finished sixth overall and proved their overall team is competitive. Every grade level scored for the men with Senior Nick Brauer leading the team and Senior Evan Pouliot making a book end for the seniors. Brauer placed 13th and was less than a minute behind the first place finish. With the 13th place finish, Brauer earned All-Conference honors.
Depth is a strength of the men’s Cross Country team. Having all grade levels score for the team shows how the team can be successful for a long time because they consistently have each level score. Only five people from a team score, but they race a lot more than that. Technically seven people are put as scorers, or varsity athletes, but they run the same race and course as everyone, so the team can be one.
Another aspect of this MIAC championship was familiarity with everything. Gustavus is familiar with all the teams in the conference and the race course itself. Running a course that has been seen before is a large part of success. Being able to know what went wrong last time or knowing when to cut on a corner is super important in a sport of seconds.
Gustavus Cross Country is a strong program that will see success for many more years, especially as the Sophomore squad on the women’s teams grows into their technique. This program has a lot of fun together and will continue to support each other in the off-season as they prepare for the next year ahead.