Cross Country Team Completes Two for Opening Season
DSU Cross Country
Dan Crisler
Everyone probably knows that volleyball and football season have begun. But there is also a third sport underway at DSU: cross-country. And it’s off to a pretty good start.
The season began September 17 with the Herb Blakely Invitational here in Madison. Both the men and women performed well in the opening meet. The men finished 1st overall while the women finished 3rd.
For the men, Matt Fideler led the team with a time of 26:22.00, finishing second in the field, behind only Jared Noyers of the University of Sioux Falls. The second highest-ranking Dakota State runner was Michael Hoffman, who finished fourth overall with a time of 26:55.00. Nic Penning was the next highest-ranked DSU runner, finishing ninth overall with a time of 27:53.00. Rounding out the field for DSU were Kace Groff (finishing 14th with a time of 28:57.00), John Bintliff (19th; 29:21.00), and Jacob Cassutt (20th; 29:49.00).
On the women’s side, Stephanie Warnke topped the DSU team with a third place finish and a time of 19:19.00. DSU alumni Niki Kubiak (20:37.00) and Samantha Drealan (21:03.00) finished second and third in the DSU ranks, respectively, and tenth and thirteenth overall. Claire Beck (20th; 23:16.00), Paula Kappenman (21st; 23:43.00), Sara Schultz (23rd; 23:46.00), Amber Wiebenga (24th; 24:03.00), Summer Bronson (26th; 24:46.00), and Nicole Jurrens (28th; 25:59.00) all rounded out the field.
Third place finisher Stephanie Warnke stated, “For the first meet, there wasn’t a whole lot of competition, but it’s nice to know where everyone’s at now with their times compared to last year. We only have a few meets this year but I’m really excited to see what the end is going to bring!”
The men and women did not get the opportunity to enjoy Trojan Day this past Saturday, as they had to travel to the big city of St. Paul to perform in the Roy Griak Invitational hosted by the University of Minnesota.
In a field that consisted of 27 teams, the DSU Men finished 15th. Leading the pack for the men was Andy Coy, who finished with a time of 25:58. Fideler (26:10) and Hoffman (26:40) finished second and third, respectively, among the DSU men. Penning (fourth; 28:22), Groff (fifth; 28:49), Cassutt (sixth; 29:41), and Bintliff (seventh; 29:47) rounded out the team ranks.
The DSU women finished the meet unranked as a team. Among individual Dakota State runners, Warnke once again led the pack, placing 92nd out of 270 participants with a time of 24:35.3.Wiebenga and Schultz also joined Warnke in the rankings, with Wiebenga placing 263rd with a time of 30:26.2 and Schultz placing 264th with a time of 30:27.4.
The next cross-country meet will be the Briar Cliff Invitational in McCook Lake, South Dakota. The women begin at 10:00A.M. The men will follow at 10:45 A.M.
