University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
NCAA Midwest Regional
Gophers Finish Fourth at NCAA Regional
11/14/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
Link: 2014 NCAA Midwest Regional Results
MINNEAPOLIS (Gophersports.com) - Aaron Bartnik picked up All-Region honors with a fourth-place finish on Friday afternoon at the 2014 NCAA Midwest Regional as the University of Minnesota men's cross country team finished fourth as a program.
The Maroon & Gold totaled 128 points as a team on Friday at the Newman Golf Course in Peoria, Ill. Oklahoma State won both the team and individual titles at the meet with 63 points including Kirubel Erassa's winning time of 30:09.5. Tulsa finished second with 77 points followed by Iowa State with 110.
"I was really pleased with the way our team battled today. They showed a lot of heart and a lot of grit against a tough field," Minnesota Director of Men's Track & Field and Cross Country Steve Plasencia said. "Aaron did a great job setting the tone for us today and then we had our group of four - Christian, Adam, Blayne and Obsa - who kept pushing each other all day and put us right in contention up until the very end."
In his NCAA debut and first career 10-kilometer race, Bartnik, a junior from Eden Prairie, Minn., clocked a 30:12.0 for the fastest time at the event by a Gopher since Ben Blankenship's 29:58.34 in 2010. A First Team All-Big Ten honoree, Bartnik will earn an individual berth to the NCAA championships on Nov. 22 should the Gophers not earn an at-large berth during tomorrow's NCAA selection. The junior has now led the Gophers in each of his five races this season.
Behind Bartnik, the Gophers stayed in a tight pack with the remaining scorers all finishing within 14 places of each other. Christian Skaret finished 26th in his second NCAA regional appearance with a time of 30:43.9 while Adam Zutz came in 29th at 30:25.8. Blayne Dulian finished one spot behind Zutz in 30th after crossing the finish line at 10:47.3 while Obsa Ali rounded out the team's scoring with a 39th-place showing and a time of 30:52.9.
Riley Macon (69th, 31:11.8) and Charlie Lawrence (95th, 31:35.8) also ran for the Gophers but did not factor into the team's scoring.
Players Mentioned
