November 15, 2008

GRINNELL, IOWA . . . Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) Cross Country Women's Champion Wartburg College edged fellow conference member Luther College for first place, while the Loras College men's team took fifth to lead all league teams at the NCAA Central Region Championships held Saturday at Oakland Acres Golf Course near Grinnell. Five IIAC teams (two men and three women) and eight individuals (three men and five women) finished in the top-10.

The Knight women captured the title with 92 points, three points clear of the Norse. Loras, which finished sixth with 172 points, was the final IIAC team in the women's top-10.

Wartburg's Anna Kraayenbrink finished second in the 182-runner field, completing the 6-kilometer course in a time of 22:02.4, 34 seconds behind regional champion Marie Borner of Bethel (Minn.). 2008 IIAC individual champion Mary Bridget Corken of Loras took fourth (22:14.3), followed by last year regional champion, Janet Dobyns of Luther, in sixth (22:34.9). Cornell senior Rachelle Hawkins took seventh (22:37.1), just ahead of Coe sophomore Ashley Schnell in eighth (22:40.3) to round out the list of IIAC runners in the top-10.

Other Iowa Conference schools competing with full women’s teams in the 26-team field were Central (13th, 368 points), Cornell (15th, 428 points), Simpson (16th, 430 points), Coe (18th, 477 points), and Dubuque (25th, 828 points).

On the men's side, Loras finished fifth with 182 points, 52 behind winner Nebraska Wesleyan University. Luther College finished seventh with 202 points, edging Bethel (Minn.) due to a tie-breaker. Luther senior David McKay won the regional title, covering the 8-kilometer course in 25:29.2, 6.7 seconds ahead of Daniel Greeno of Bethel (Minn.). Wartburg senior Brian Chenoweth, the 2008 IIAC individual champion, took fourth (25:39.5), while Coe's Brad O'Neil (9th, 25:48.2) also finished in the top-10 of the 177-runner field..

Other Iowa Conference schools competing with full men’s teams in the 26-team field were Coe College (11th, 266 points), Simpson College (13th, 315 points), Wartburg College (16th, 390 points), Cornell College (17th, 409 points), Central College (18th, 475 points), University of Dubuque (24th, 757 points), and Buena Vista University (26th, 803 points).

All-Region Runners: The top-35 finishers in both the men’s and women’s races are designated All-Region. Twenty-two IIAC runners, including 14 women and eight men, received All-Region honors. On the women’s side, in addition to Kraayenbrink, Corken, Dobyns, Hawkins, and Schnell, Wartburg juniors Amanda Kuiken (12th, 22:55.9) and Jennifer Kuiken (14th, 22:58.1) and sophomore Lori Tlach (25th, 23:22.7), Luther seniors Elise Bennett (13th, 22:57.6) and Flannery Cerbin (23rd, 23:19.9) and juniors Becky Eckerman (22nd, 23:18.0) and Katie Dolan (31st, 23:35.3), and Loras sophmore Tara Kilburg (32nd, 23:37.9) and junior Erica Stevens (34th, 23:40.0) received All-Region recognition. The honor is the fourth for Dobyns, the third for Stevens, and the second for Kraayenbrink, Corken, Hawkins, Schnell, Amanda Kuiken, Jennifer Kuiken, Bennett and Cerbin.

On the men’s side, in addition to McKay, Chenoweth, and O'Neil, Simpson senior Eric Osterhaus (11th, 25:51.6), Loras junior John Fry (17th, 26:09.2), Cornell sophomore Andrew Tobben (24th, 26:23.6), Loras junior Greg Bell (25th, 26:23.6), and Coe junior Ryan Schroeder (31st, 26:36.2) received All-Region recognition. The All-Region honors are the third for McKay and Chenoweth and the second for Osterhaus, O'Neil, and Tobben.

Complete NCAA Central Region Championship men's results are here.

Complete NCAA Central Region Championship women's results are here.

National Qualifiers: The men’s and women’s national fields will include 32 teams and 56 individuals each. The top-two teams from each Regional plus 16 at-large teams will fill the team field. Seven individuals per region, from non-qualifying teams, will be selected.

The Luther and Wartburg women have qualified for the National Championships with their finishes at the Central Region Championship. It is the 10th time for the Norse and will be the 12th time for the Knights. Wartburg has qualified its women's team in eight of the last nine years. The Loras men have an outside chance at an at-large spot. The Duhawks last qualified for nationals in 2003 where they finished 15th.

The NCAA will announce the national field on Sunday, November 16. The 2008 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships are Saturday, November 22 at the L.S. Ayres Complex on the campus of Hanover College in Hanover,Ind. The men’s race starts at 11:00 a.m. ET followed by the women’s race at noon ET. The Championship field will be posted here. The National Championship web site here.

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