University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
NCAA Midwest Regional
No. 26 Gophers Place Fourth at Regional
11/11/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
IOWA CITY, Iowa - Behind top-12 finishes from Madeline Strandemo, Megan Hasz, and Bethany Hasz, the No. 26 Golden Gopher women's cross country team placed fourth in the team standings at the NCAA Midwest Regional at Iowa's Ashton Cross Country Course Friday morning.
All five of Minnesota's scoring runners ran career-best six-kilometer times led by Strandemo, clocking nearly a 20-second PR of 20:23.7 for seventh place. M. Hasz ran 20:27.7 for ninth with twin sister B. Hasz close behind in 20:32.6 for 12th. The trio earned All-Midwest Region honors for their top-25 finishes.
"Those three ran superbly today after running great and carrying us all year," head coach Sarah Hopkins said of Strandemo and the Hasz twins. "I thought they probably had their best races of the year today overall. Anytime you can be in the top 15 in this region is pretty special, and especially if you're a freshman. They ran a really good race plan and hung tough. I'm proud of the whole group, but I'm really proud of those three for getting in there and taking a risk."
Bailey Ness (21:20.6) and Emily Betz (21:20.9) finished 52nd and 53rd overall as Minnesota's fourth and fifth runners, posting personal best times as well. Ness cut 20 seconds off her previous PR of 21:40 set in October 2014, while Betz saw a five-second improvement from her old PR of 21:25.8 set at last year's Big Ten Championship.
Patty O'Brien and Abby Kargol also made their NCAA debuts for the Gophers. After serving as an alternate at the Midwest Regional a year ago, O'Brien ran a season-best 21:53.5 as Minnesota's sixth runner in 97th place overall. Kargol, a redshirt freshman, clocked a time of 21:57.8 as the seventh Gopher in 107th place of 235 finishers.
"I was really proud of Emily Betz today," Hopkins said. "She's been coming around all year, and I thought she probably had the best race of her season today. Abby Kargol was sick all week, and that hurt us a little bit. She was feeling better today, but that definitely took a lot out of her. I think today was a bit of an anomaly for her. We're a team that was super young and had a lot of hits along the way this year. I'm super proud of them."
The Gophers scored 131 points to come in fourth in the team race. Missouri scored 83 points to take the team title, led by junior Karissa Schweizer's individual crown (19:54.4), and edged team runner-up Oklahoma State by six points (89). Iowa State came in third with 90 points ahead of the fourth-place Gophers and Kansas in fifth (154 points). Schweizer earned a six-second win over Kansas sophomore Sharon Lokedi after the duo led the entire race and broke away from the pack at the three-kilometer mark.
NCAA regional championships wrap up Friday, and the Gophers will await the at-large team selections to learn their NCAA Championship fate. Minnesota has advanced to 11-straight NCAA Championships. The at-large team and individual selections will be announced on Saturday following the completion of all nine NCAA regional championships.
"Maddie should make it to the national meet as the fourth individual [not on an automatically advancing team], and Megan might eke her way in there, too," Hopkins said. "We still have a shot, but we're in a situation where there are going to be teams at the national meet that we've beat this year. Whether that gets us in or not, it's hard because we have to rely on a lot of other factors. But, there are definitely going to be teams there that we know we're just as good or better than. It's just the way the cards fall. There are so many things you can't control if you're not in the top two."
The top 31 teams in the nation will race at the 2016 NCAA Championship at LaVern Gibson Championship Course in Terra Haute, Ind., on Saturday, Nov. 19. The women's 6K race is scheduled for 10 a.m. CT, followed by the men's 10K race at 11 a.m. CT.
Gophers' Midwest Regional Results
7. Strandemo, 20:23.7, PR
9. M. Hasz, 20:27.7, PR
12. B. Hasz, 20:32.6, PR
52. Ness, 21:20.6, PR
53. Betz, 21:20.9, PR
97. O'Brien, 21:53.5, season best
105. Kargol, 21:57.8
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