Wildcats finish tenth out of 17 teams
FORT SNELLING, Minn. – Rainy conditions didn’t hold back the Wildcats on Friday, as several Northern Michigan cross country runners recorded personal records (PRs) against some of the top Division I, II, and III runners in the country.
In a field of nearly 250 runners across all collegiate divisions, the Wildcats continued to make moves throughout the race and put together several impressive individual performances.
Ella DeBruyn led the way with a PR of 21:21.3 for 49th place, which was the fifth-best time among all Division II runners. She made moves throughout the course, progressing from 108th at 1K to 90th at 3K, 55th at 5.2K, and ultimately finishing inside the top 50.
Ashley Choponis crossed the finish line at 21:35.0 for 65th place, just edging her previous career-best time by three seconds. She finished ninth among DII runners. Choponis also continued to move up throughout the race, climbing 50 spots from the 1K marker to the finish.
Right behind Choponis was Lamar Gordon in 66th with a time of 21:35.4. Yet another PR for the Wildcats, Gordon finished 10th among DII competition. Gordon was also outside the top 100 at the 1K marker before making significant strides as the race progressed.
Junior Lola Korpi had the best race of her career, finishing in 21:56.5 for 83rd place. Freshman Macy Guikema and junior Anya VanSweden also recorded personal bests and finished inside the top 100, crossing at 22:10.3 and 22:11.2, respectively.
Several other Wildcats recorded PRs, including Addison Jones (22:21.3), Dani VanLente (22:21.5), Audrey Hamilton (22:42.5), Sophia Nunnery (22:47.9), Tania Boonstra (23:05.5), Sarah Stein (23:50.9), Emma Dell (23:52.6), Samantha Zolnierek (24:32.9), and Anne Hamilton (24:39.6).
Isabelle Schmitz of Minnesota won the meet with a time of 19:44.8, while the Gophers posted the lowest team score at 26. The Wildcats totaled 264 points, finishing in 10th of 17 teams. They placed third among DII squads, behind Winona State (6th, 182 points) and Minnesota State (8th, 228 points).
Full results can be found here.
Up Next
The Wildcats will have a couple of weeks off before returning to competition at the Lucian Rosa Invite on Saturday, October 10, in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
