Tommie Sports - Women's Cross Country
Women's CC edges Carleton, repeats as MIAC champion
1st of 12MIAC Championships, October 29, 2007
The St. Thomas women's cross country team won Saturday's MIAC Championships at St. Paul's Como Golf Course by the closest of margins.
Coach Joe Sweeney's 21st-ranked Tommies pulled out a tense two-point win over runner-up Carleton, 74-76, to repeat as champion. No. 14-ranked St. Olaf was third with 80 in the 12-team field.
It was the second-closest team finish in the 27-year history of MIAC women's cross country (UST and Carleton tied for the championship in 1991).
It was the 15th cross-country team crown for Tommies and 58th all-time conference team title in 76 chances for Sweeney's teams in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track. St. Thomas has now won 104 conference women's regular-season championships. Gustavus has won the next most with 48.
St. Thomas became the first institution to claim three MIAC women's team titles in a fall season -- the Tommies earlier secured championships in golf and volleyball and placed sixth in soccer. Only twice in the women's 25-year MIAC history has one school won three team crowns in any season -- St. Thomas did it in 1991 spring as it went 3-for-3 in outdoor track, tennis and softball; Gustavus did it in 2001-02 as it captured first in nordic skiing, hockey and swimming & diving, along with top-three finishes in indoor track and basketball.
Tommie junior Katie Theisen placed second out of 215 finishers in 22:03 for 6,000 meters, seven seconds behind winner Marie Borner of Bethel (21:56) and six second ahead of the third-place finisher. It was the third All-MIAC honor in three seasons for Theisen, who placed third last season. Theisen ran 1:21 faster than her 2006 time on a course that was modified and had one less trip up a steep hill.
Sophomore Kelly Russ (11th, 23:08) and senior Julie Anderson (13th, 23:13) also received All-MIAC distinction with top-15 placings. Senior Kalsey Larson took 18th (23:24) and Allie Metzler was 30th (23:50) to close out the UST scorers. Anderson improved 83 spots from her 96th place in 2006 to 13th this fall as she dropped 2:38 off her time from the course that was redesigned this year. Larson improved 60 spots from 78th to 18th and dropped 2:10 off her time.
Anderson, Larson and Metzler each edged a runner by less than two seconds in the home stretch to provide three separate one-point swings to give the Toms the winning cushion.
UST had eight other runners in the top 155 -- Raynee DeGrio placed 47th (24:21); Anne Iddins was 50th (24:22); Alexandra Johnson placed 52nd (24:23); Helen Shea was 89th (25:22); Christine Frandsen was 93rd (25:26); Julia Brandes was 123rd (26:17); Kaitlin Rattigan was 134th (26:34); and Christine Skopec was 155th (27:07).
UST will run in the NCAA Regional meet Nov. 10 at St. Olaf.
Katie Theisen, Julie Anderson and Kelly Russ (L-R) each earned All-MIAC honors Saturday to lead the Tommies to a narrow team victory. (Greg Smith photo)
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