University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
NCAA Midwest Regional
Gophers Advance to NCAA Championships
11/13/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
Link: 2015 NCAA Midwest Regional Results
LAWRENCE, Kan. (GopherSports.com) - Behind four All-Region honorees, the No. 26 University of Minnesota men's cross country team finished second at the 2015 NCAA Midwest Regional on Friday afternoon to advance to the NCAA championships for the first time as a team since 2011.
"I'm incredibly proud of the effort our team put in today" Minnesota Director of Men's Track & Field and Cross Country Steve Plasencia said. "We ran a smart race, our guys stayed composed, they worked hard the whole way and they earned the right to go compete for a national title in Louisville."
With 95 team points, the Maroon & Gold were one of only two programs to score below 100 on Friday at Rim Rock Farm's 10-kilometer course. No. 6 Oklahoma State won the regional with 59 points while No. 14 Tulsa's Marc Scott paced the race at 29:37.1.
The Gophers, who opened the season with a win at Rim Rock Farm's Bob Timmons Dual Classic, fielded a race roster of seven Minnesota natives on Friday while the team's three redshirt senior captains (Aaron Bartnik, Adam Zutz and Christian Skaret) factored into the team's scoring.
"To have those three score for us today was really special," Plasencia said. "They've put in a lot of work and a lot of miles over the years and I think it says a lot about their character and determination. They've come so close to earning this the last few years, it's very rewarding to see their efforts pay off."
For the ninth time in his career, redshirt senior captain Aaron Bartnik led the way for the Gophers with a 12th-place finish and a time of 30:18.1. Bartnik picked up his second All-Region honor on Friday after repeating as an All-Big Ten performer earlier this month at the conference meet.
Likewise for Obsa Ali, who followed up his first All-Big Ten honor with his first All-Region accolade on Friday. The sophomore finished 14th overall with a time of 30:21.6.
First Team All-Big Ten and now All-Region honoree Adam Zutz set a new personal record with a time of 30:25.1. The redshirt senior captain finished 18th among the field at Rim Rock Farm. Redshirt sophomore Charlie Lawrence also put together a personal record to earn All-Region honors. Lawrence came in 19th with a time of 30:25.6.
Redshirt senior captain Christian Skaret closed out the day's scoring for the Maroon & Gold with a 32nd-place finish in 30:59.3.
Redshirt sophomores Matt Welch (56th, 31:25.2) and Eric Colvin (100th, 32:05.1) also ran for the Gophers.
The 2015 NCAA Championships are set for Saturday, Nov. 21 at E.P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park in Louisville, Ky. The men's 10-kilometer race is set for 12 p.m. CT with the women's six-kilometer race starting at 11 a.m.
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Players Mentioned
