University of Minnesota Athletics
MCC: Golden Gophers Place 18th at NCAA Cross Country Championships
11/22/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
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The Minnesota men's cross country team tied for 18th place with Indiana at the NCAA Men's Cross Country Championships at the LaVern Gibson Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Ind., on Monday.
The Golden Gophers were paced by junior Ryan Malmin, who placed 28th overall. Malmin, a Minnetonka, Minn., native, covered the 10-kilometer course in a time of 31 minutes, 39.2 seconds to earn All-America honors. Senior Andrew Carlson earned his second All-America honor of his career, placing 37th in a time of 31:48.7. Big Ten champion, Wisconsin's Simon Bairu won the national individual title in 30:37.7, three seconds faster than runner-up Matt Gonzales (30:40.9) of New Mexico.
The day belonged to the Buffaloes of the University of Colorado. The Buffs ran to upset victories in both the men's and women's championships. Colorado edged Wisconsin by four points (90-94) in the men's race. The Badgers have finished as the national runner-up in the last three seasons. The Buffaloes cruised to the women's title with 63 points, outdistancing runner-up Duke's total of 144. Michigan was the highest Big Ten finisher in the women's competition placing sixth.
A light morning rain gave way to partly cloudy skies for the running of the 66th NCAA Men's Cross Country meet. The Golden Gophers competed in the event for a school-record eighth consecutive time.
The Gophers scored 453 team points and shared 18th-place with Indiana. Other Big Ten finishes were Iowa in 13th, Ohio State in 22nd, Michigan in 26th and Michigan State in 28th.
Also scoring for the Gophers were Michael Bialick, who placed 141st in a time of 33:00.9; Antonio Vega, who finished 171st in 33:21.4; and Josh DoBell, who placed 208th in 33:54.2. Justin Grunewald and Ryan Ford completed the Minnesota lineup. Grunewald, a true freshman, finished 212th in a time of 33:59.3. Ford, who is just the second Gopher to run in four NCAA Championships during a career, placed 221st in 34:18.0.
Players Mentioned
