Tommie All-Americas Taylor Berg and Erin Statz also received national All-Academic status, joining 199 other student-athletes representing 104 institutions.

Berg, who placed eighth at nationals, has a 3.38 grade-point average, while Statz, who took 21st, has a 3.90 gpa.

To qualify for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Track and Field Team, the student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 or greater through the most-recent semester and placed in the top 35 at the NCAA Regional Championships.

Berg improved 41 spots from last year's NCAA Championships place. For Statz, that's an improvement of 56 spots and 33 seconds from last November's race at nationals.

Nine of the top 22 finishers came from the Central region, and Wartburg (second) and St. Olaf (eighth) had top-10 team placings.

In the men's race, UST sophomore Keaton Wendroth of Rochester, in his first NCAA meet, placed 99th out of 277 finishers in 25:41.9 for 8,000 meters.   MORE

St. Thomas placed seventh out of 28 teams and 187 individuals at St. Olaf's campus. The Toms had two sophomores and three freshmen in their lineup.

Wartburg (72) and St. Olaf (95) secured the automatic team spots with Luther, Carleton, Gustavus also still under consideration for at-large spots.

Berg was fourth in 21:47; Statz was eighth in 22:03; Gabrielle Pepin was 41st in 23:59; Kate Mares was 78th in 24:40; Melissa Engstrom was 91st in 24:56; Emily Gapinski ran 25:10 and Kayla Goeman clocked 25:14.

The complete NCAA field will be set on Sunday afternoon. The NCAA Championships will be held next Saturday in Terre Haute, Ind., with the men's race at 10 a.m. Central time and the women's race at 11 a.m.                  

Click here for complete results:

http://www.stolaf.edu/athletics/crossctry/women/media/2012-13/results/2012-11-10.htm

The men’s 8,000-meter race starts at 11 a.m., while the 6,000-meter women’s race starts at noon.

Conference champion and track and field All-America Taylor Berg will challenge for the individual region championship, and teammate Erin Statz also will look to take a top-10 finish.

Teamwise, Coach Joe Sweeney’s Tommie women placed fourth at the MIAC Championships, with three freshmen in the top seven. They will join St. Olaf, Gustavus, Carleton, Wartburg and Luther among the top teams looking to secure a team berth to nationals.

For the St. Thomas men, sophomore Keaton Wendroth will look to secure a berth to nationals. Coach Pete Wareham’s team will battle Central, St. Olaf, Loras, St. John’s and Bethel among others at the front of the chase.

Click here to see NCAA regional webpage:         

http://www.stolaf.edu/athletics/crossctry/2012/

Berg, a track and field All-America, won by 15 seconds as she used a late surge to pull away. She becomes the 10th St. Thomas runner, but first since 2000, to win the conference individual title for women's cross country.

Teammate Erin Statz (22:40) placed sixth. The Tommies (102) placed fourth overall behind surprise champion Gustavus (57), St. Olaf (60) and Carleton (68).

UST had three freshmen in its top six: Gabrielle Pepin was 29th (23:41); Kate Mares was 35th (23:48); and Emily Gapinski was 47th (24:09). Sophomores Kayla Goeman (31st, 23:42) and Melissa Engstrom (24:10) rounded out the St. Thomas top 10. 

The Tommies will compete in the regional meet Nov. 10.

Click here for complete results:

http://www.miac-online.org/documents/2012/10/27/miacwomencc.html

Click here for MIAC website story:

http://www.miac-online.org/news/2012/10/27/WXC_1027123133.aspx

Men's CC

On the men's side, Keaton Wendroth placed seventh and Ethan Armbruster placed 11th to lead the Tommie men (97 points) to second place behind champion St. Olaf (54). UST edged out Bethel (101) and St. John's (103) for second place.

No. 30-ranked St. Thomas placed seventh out of 30 teams at 222, just 13 behind Illinois Wesleyan. St. Olaf placed fourth. Johns Hopkins, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and Olivet Nazarene placed 1-2-3.  

Kayla Goeman (71st, 23:52), Diane Hubbell (75th, 23:56), Gabrielle Pepin (86th, 24:01), Emily Gapinski (103rd, 24:16) and Shelby Yoakum (192nd, 25:51) were the UST's top seven in the 6,000-meter race.  

Team results:   http://www.rose-hulman.edu/media/801897/womenteam.htm
Individual results: http://www.rose-hulman.edu/media/801894/womenindividual.htm

Berg, an Eagan High graduate, placed fourth in a field of 408 runners on Saturday to lead the Tommie women to seventh place out of 29 teams in the Division III race at the U of M Griak Invite in Falcon Heights.

Berg's (22:12) and teammate Erin Statz (22:17) also finished 1-2 among 141 MIAC runners competing from six conference teams.

Berg is a multiple track and field All-America and ran on the Tommies' 2010 NCAA champion indoor distance medley relay team. She placed seventh at outdoor nationals last May. Berg placed 49th out of 280 runners at CC nationals last November with a career-best 21:55 time for 6,000 meters. She was fourth in the MIAC and seventh at regionals in 2011.

She will lead St. Thomas at next Saturday's pre-nationals competition in Terre Haute, Ind.

Taylor Berg and Erin Statz placed 4-5 in a field of 408 finishers. Berg's (22:12) and Statz (22:17) also finished 1-2 among 141 runners competing from six conference teams.

Other Tommie runners in the top 150 were freshman Gabrielle Pepin (54th, 24:24.85); freshman Diane Hubbell (70th, 24:37); soph Kayla Goeman (94th, 24:58); senior Shelby Yoakum (111th, 25:10; soph Allie Loveland (117th, 25:17); and  freshman Kate Mares (126th, 25:24).

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Photographer Greg Smith took the photos posted below from Saturday's race. Click here to view more Greg Smith action photos:

wwwgsmithsports.com

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Junior Erin Statz (Greg Smith photo)

Sophomore Kayla Goeman (Greg Smith photo)

Freshman Kate Mares (Greg Smith photo)

Sophomore Allie Loveland (Greg Smith photo)

Freshman Diane Hubbell (Greg Smith photo)

The Tommie women had a cool morning to race on a day when the temperatires later pushed 80 degrees. (Greg Smith photo)

Senior Taylor Berg and junior Erin Statz in the homestretch (Greg Smith photo)

Berg's (22:12) and Statz (22:17) also finished 1-2 among 141 MIAC runners competing from six conference teams.

Other Tommie runners in the top 150 were freshman Gabrielle Pepin (54th, 24:24.85); freshman Diane Hubbell (70th, 24:37); soph Kayla Goeman (94th, 24:58); senior Shelby Yoakum (111th, 25:10; soph Allie Loveland (117th, 25:17); and  freshman Kate Mares (126th, 25:24);

Click here for complete results:

http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/minn/sports/m-xc/auto_pdf/2012-13/misc_non_event/Women_Maroon_III_Results.pdf

UST senior Taylor Berg was the first individual finisher out of 200 conference runners. Berg took second overall out of 381 finishers, and her 22:09 time for 6,000 meters was 14 seconds off her career-best time for 6K set at 2011 nationals. UST junior Erin Statz placed fourth as the Tommies placed fifth out of 24 teams.

St. Thomas will get another good test Sept. 29 at the U of M Gopher Griak Invitational.

Greg Smith shot these action photos at Saturday's race in Northfield.

Click here to view more Greg Smith action photos:

www.gsmithsports.com

Erin Statz (Greg Smith photo)

Freshman Gabrielle Pepin (Greg Smith photo)

Kayla Goeman (Greg Smith photo)

Melissa Engstrom (Greg Smith photo)