University of Minnesota Athletics
Saturday, November 17
Madison, Wis.
10:45 AM
University of Minnesota
at
NCAA Championship
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
Minnesota Set for NCAA Championship
11/12/2018 4:47:00 PM | Women's Cross Country
The No. 27 Gophers will make the program's 13th NCAA Championship appearance in the last 14 seasons this Saturday.
MINNEAPOLIS – The No. 27 University of Minnesota women's cross country team is set to make the program's 13th NCAA appearance in the last 14 seasons when the Golden Gophers travel to Madison, Wis., for the 2018 NCAA Cross Country Championships this Saturday.
About the NCAA Championship
The NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships will be held on Saturday, taking place at Wisconsin's Zimmer Championship Course in Madison, Wis. The women's 6K will start at 10:45 a.m. CT and the men's 10K will begin at 11:45 a.m. There is no spectator parking at the Zimmer Championship Course; fans will be required to park in a designated parking lot and pay an admission fee of $10 to ride a shuttle to the course. Please note that the spectator shuttles are cash only and cost $10 per rider (round trip).
About the 2018 NCAA Championship Field
Minnesota is one of 13 at-large teams selected to compete at the national meet after finishing third at the NCAA Midwest Regional. The Gophers join BYU, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Michigan State, Ole Miss, Notre Dame, Oregon State, Penn State, Portland, Southern Utah, Stanford, and Washington as at-large women's team qualifiers.
In total, 31 teams were selected to participate in the NCAA Championship. The top two, seven-person teams automatically qualified from each of the nine regions, for a total of 18 teams. This year's automatic qualifying women's teams are Arkansas, Boise State, Colorado, Columbia, Dartmouth, Florida, Florida State, Furman, Iowa State, Michigan, NC State, New Mexico, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Princeton, Texas, Villanova, and Wisconsin.
2017 NCAA Championship Rewind
Minnesota returned to the NCAA Cross Country Championship after a one-year hiatus and earned a 19th-place team finish led by Bethany Hasz, Megan Hasz, and Madeline Strandemo last season. The Gophers scored 488 points to place 19th in the team standings. Six of Minnesota's seven runners made their debuts at the NCAA meet with Strandemo returning as the team's lone veteran. In their NCAA debuts, B. Hasz placed 70th in 20:29.32 followed by M. Hasz in 74th (20:31.01), and Strandemo placed 83rd (20:35.74) as Minnesota's third runner. Bailey Ness (21:32.56 in 195th) and Courtney Alama (career-best 21:34.77 in 199th) were among the top-200 overall finishers to complete the Gophers' scoring finishes in 159th and 162nd in the team race. Elyse Prescott (21:46.40) and Abby Kohut-Jackson (22:02.27) also gained valuable NCAA Championship experience as Minnesota's sixth and seventh finishers.
Gophers' NCAA Championship Roster
Minnesota's NCAA postseason roster includes four individuals who have previously raced at the NCAA Championship in Bethany Hasz, Megan Hasz, Elyse Prescott, and Abby Kohut-Jackson, who all represented the Maroon & Gold at the 2017 national meet. Patty O'Brien and Zetta Mason return to the national stage after serving as alternates while Molly Eastman, Olivia Hummel, Anastasia Korzenowski, and Jaycie Thomsen will make their NCAA Championship debuts.
Patty O'Brien (Alternate, 2017; Alternate, 2015)
Bethany Hasz (70th, 20:29.32, 2017)
Megan Hasz (74th, 20:31.01, 2017)
Elyse Prescott (214th, 21:46.40, 2017)
Abby Kohut-Jackson (231st, 22:02.27, 2017)
Molly Eastman (debut)
Zetta Mason (Alternate, 2017)
Olivia Hummel (debut)
Anastasia Korzenowski (debut)
Jaycie Thomsen (debut)
Gophers' History at the NCAA Championship
This season marks the program's 24th team appearance at the NCAA Championship since 1974. Minnesota's highest NCAA team finish came in 2005 when the Gophers placed ninth. The ninth-place showing was the first of five-straight top-12 finishes for the Gophers. Minnesota's most recent All-American is Stephanie Price, who finished 31st in 2010. The Gophers' all-time highest individual finisher at the NCAA Championships is Megan Duwell, who took eighth overall in 2009.
Last Time Out: NCAA Midwest Regional
Minnesota placed third at the NCAA Midwest Regional. Bethany Hasz and Megan Hasz both recorded top-10 finishes to lead the Maroon & Gold and earned all-region honors for the third time in their careers. B. Hasz led the Gophers for the fifth time in as many races this season, placing eighth in 20:42.3 while M. Hasz finished second on the team in 10th overall in 20:44.3. Patty O'Brien was Minnesota's third runner for the fifth time this year, tying her career best with a time of 21:26.5 for 37th place overall. In their NCAA Midwest Regional debuts, Jaycie Thomsen (21:42.1) and Anastasia Korzenowski (21:45.2) rounded out the Gophers' top five in 63rd and 67th, respectively.
Duo Earns All-Big Ten Honors
Bethany Hasz placed fifth and Megan Hasz took 12th to earn All-Big Ten honors at the 2018 Big Ten Cross Country Championship. B. Hasz posted a career-best 6K time of 20:14.1, and her fifth-place finish was the highest B1G finish of her career after she placed 10th a year ago and was 20th as a freshman in 2016. Earning an All-Big Ten First Team nod for the first time in her collegiate cross country career, B. Hasz also moved into fourth on Minnesota's all-time 6K performers list with her PR. Meanwhile, M. Hasz clocked a season-best time of 20:30.5 to finish 12th overall and earn her third All-Big Ten cross country award of her career with a place on this year's second team. In the team race, Minnesota scored 167 points for a sixth-place finish.
Gophers Slip to No. 27 in USTFCCCA Poll
The Gophers dropped four places to No. 27 in the nation according to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) NCAA Division I Women's Cross Country Week Seven National Coaches' Poll. The Big Ten Conference still has six teams ranked among the nation's top 30 in No. 6 Michigan, No. 10 Wisconsin, No. 12 Michigan State, No. 20 Indiana, No. 22 Penn State, and No. 27 Minnesota.
Gophers Make Debuts
Gophers Maria Eastman and Olivia Hummel made their debuts for the Maroon & Gold this season, and redshirt freshmen Bit Klecker, Anastasia Korzenowski, Molly Roach, Sophie Schmitz, Tate Sweeney, and Jaycie Thomsen all competed in uniform for the first time in their careers. Gopher rookies Libby Halbmaier, Elena Hayday, Taylor Krone, Becca Langer, and Courtney West have all raced unattached as well.
Gophers Celebrate Track & Field Stadium Grand Opening
The University of Minnesota and Gopher Athletics celebrated a new era of track and field with the grand opening of the University of Minnesota Track and Field Stadium on Monday, Sept. 17. Located in the heart of the new Athletes Village area, this facility will become synonymous with track & field excellence in the Midwest. It will not only provide a first-class experience for the Gophers, but it will also provide a wonderful venue for the state's largest amateur meets and a Minnesota option for USA Track & Field to place its marquee events in the Upper Midwest.
The University of Minnesota Track and Field Stadium gives Minnesota its first opportunity in more than 15 years to host home outdoor meets, including Big Ten and NCAA competition. The facility features a nine-lane track with the Beynon 2000 surface, full-field event hosting capabilities, versatile configuration, fully enclosed, heated warm-up and cool down areas, and grandstands with the capacity to host major competitions.
Who is Back?
The Gophers return four of their seven runners from the 2017 NCAA Championship in Megan Hasz, Abby Kohut-Jackson, Bethany Hasz, and Elyse Prescott along with alternates Patty O'Brien and Zetta Mason. Bethany Hasz and Megan Hasz return after earning NCAA all-region and All-Big Ten honors last season.
Who is New?
Five rookies joined the Gophers this season in Libby Halbmaier (Minnetonka, Minn.), Elena Hayday (Bloomington, Minn.), Taylor Krone (Anoka, Minn.), Becca Langer (Waukesha, Wis.), and Courtney West (Dodge Center, Minn.). Junior Maria Berg (New Prague, Minn.) is another newcomer for the Maroon & Gold after she transferred to the University of Minnesota after competing for Minnesota Duluth in both cross country and track & field as a freshman during the 2016-17 season and competing in cross country during the 2017 season.
Seven redshirt freshmen made their debuts racing in uniform for the Gophers after competing unattached last fall: Sam Baer (St. Louis Park, Minn.), Bit Klecker (Hopkins, Minn.), Anastasia Korzenowski (Chanhassen, Minn.), Molly Roach (Bloomington, Minn.), Sophie Schmitz (Willmar, Minn.), Tate Sweeney (Edina, Minn.), and Jaycie Thomsen (Maple Grove, Minn.). Redshirt sophomores Kayla Baker (Cloquet, Minn.), Maria Eastman (Victoria Minn.), and Olivia Hummel (Woodbury, Minn.) also made their debuts for the Maroon & Gold this fall.
Six Gophers Serving as Captains
Molly Eastman, Abby Lange, Patty O'Brien, Paige Peschel, Elyse Prescott, and Kelsey Sather are leading the Gophers as captains this fall. O'Brien and Peschel return to Minnesota's leadership group as fifth-year seniors and second-year captains joined by fellow fifth-year senior Eastman. Lange and Sather are both redshirt juniors for the Gophers, and Prescott rounds out Minnesota's six captains as she enters her junior season.
Home Meets
Minnesota hosted five home meets at Les Bolstad Course this fall: Intrasquad 5K (Aug. 31), Oz Memorial Run (Sept. 7), 33rd annual Roy Griak Invitational (Sept. 29), Jack's Twilight Run (Oct. 19), and Rocky's Run (Nov. 4).
###
About the NCAA Championship
The NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships will be held on Saturday, taking place at Wisconsin's Zimmer Championship Course in Madison, Wis. The women's 6K will start at 10:45 a.m. CT and the men's 10K will begin at 11:45 a.m. There is no spectator parking at the Zimmer Championship Course; fans will be required to park in a designated parking lot and pay an admission fee of $10 to ride a shuttle to the course. Please note that the spectator shuttles are cash only and cost $10 per rider (round trip).
About the 2018 NCAA Championship Field
Minnesota is one of 13 at-large teams selected to compete at the national meet after finishing third at the NCAA Midwest Regional. The Gophers join BYU, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Michigan State, Ole Miss, Notre Dame, Oregon State, Penn State, Portland, Southern Utah, Stanford, and Washington as at-large women's team qualifiers.
In total, 31 teams were selected to participate in the NCAA Championship. The top two, seven-person teams automatically qualified from each of the nine regions, for a total of 18 teams. This year's automatic qualifying women's teams are Arkansas, Boise State, Colorado, Columbia, Dartmouth, Florida, Florida State, Furman, Iowa State, Michigan, NC State, New Mexico, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Princeton, Texas, Villanova, and Wisconsin.
2017 NCAA Championship Rewind
Minnesota returned to the NCAA Cross Country Championship after a one-year hiatus and earned a 19th-place team finish led by Bethany Hasz, Megan Hasz, and Madeline Strandemo last season. The Gophers scored 488 points to place 19th in the team standings. Six of Minnesota's seven runners made their debuts at the NCAA meet with Strandemo returning as the team's lone veteran. In their NCAA debuts, B. Hasz placed 70th in 20:29.32 followed by M. Hasz in 74th (20:31.01), and Strandemo placed 83rd (20:35.74) as Minnesota's third runner. Bailey Ness (21:32.56 in 195th) and Courtney Alama (career-best 21:34.77 in 199th) were among the top-200 overall finishers to complete the Gophers' scoring finishes in 159th and 162nd in the team race. Elyse Prescott (21:46.40) and Abby Kohut-Jackson (22:02.27) also gained valuable NCAA Championship experience as Minnesota's sixth and seventh finishers.
Gophers' NCAA Championship Roster
Minnesota's NCAA postseason roster includes four individuals who have previously raced at the NCAA Championship in Bethany Hasz, Megan Hasz, Elyse Prescott, and Abby Kohut-Jackson, who all represented the Maroon & Gold at the 2017 national meet. Patty O'Brien and Zetta Mason return to the national stage after serving as alternates while Molly Eastman, Olivia Hummel, Anastasia Korzenowski, and Jaycie Thomsen will make their NCAA Championship debuts.
Patty O'Brien (Alternate, 2017; Alternate, 2015)
Bethany Hasz (70th, 20:29.32, 2017)
Megan Hasz (74th, 20:31.01, 2017)
Elyse Prescott (214th, 21:46.40, 2017)
Abby Kohut-Jackson (231st, 22:02.27, 2017)
Molly Eastman (debut)
Zetta Mason (Alternate, 2017)
Olivia Hummel (debut)
Anastasia Korzenowski (debut)
Jaycie Thomsen (debut)
Gophers' History at the NCAA Championship
This season marks the program's 24th team appearance at the NCAA Championship since 1974. Minnesota's highest NCAA team finish came in 2005 when the Gophers placed ninth. The ninth-place showing was the first of five-straight top-12 finishes for the Gophers. Minnesota's most recent All-American is Stephanie Price, who finished 31st in 2010. The Gophers' all-time highest individual finisher at the NCAA Championships is Megan Duwell, who took eighth overall in 2009.
Last Time Out: NCAA Midwest Regional
Minnesota placed third at the NCAA Midwest Regional. Bethany Hasz and Megan Hasz both recorded top-10 finishes to lead the Maroon & Gold and earned all-region honors for the third time in their careers. B. Hasz led the Gophers for the fifth time in as many races this season, placing eighth in 20:42.3 while M. Hasz finished second on the team in 10th overall in 20:44.3. Patty O'Brien was Minnesota's third runner for the fifth time this year, tying her career best with a time of 21:26.5 for 37th place overall. In their NCAA Midwest Regional debuts, Jaycie Thomsen (21:42.1) and Anastasia Korzenowski (21:45.2) rounded out the Gophers' top five in 63rd and 67th, respectively.
Duo Earns All-Big Ten Honors
Bethany Hasz placed fifth and Megan Hasz took 12th to earn All-Big Ten honors at the 2018 Big Ten Cross Country Championship. B. Hasz posted a career-best 6K time of 20:14.1, and her fifth-place finish was the highest B1G finish of her career after she placed 10th a year ago and was 20th as a freshman in 2016. Earning an All-Big Ten First Team nod for the first time in her collegiate cross country career, B. Hasz also moved into fourth on Minnesota's all-time 6K performers list with her PR. Meanwhile, M. Hasz clocked a season-best time of 20:30.5 to finish 12th overall and earn her third All-Big Ten cross country award of her career with a place on this year's second team. In the team race, Minnesota scored 167 points for a sixth-place finish.
Gophers Slip to No. 27 in USTFCCCA Poll
The Gophers dropped four places to No. 27 in the nation according to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) NCAA Division I Women's Cross Country Week Seven National Coaches' Poll. The Big Ten Conference still has six teams ranked among the nation's top 30 in No. 6 Michigan, No. 10 Wisconsin, No. 12 Michigan State, No. 20 Indiana, No. 22 Penn State, and No. 27 Minnesota.
Gophers Make Debuts
Gophers Maria Eastman and Olivia Hummel made their debuts for the Maroon & Gold this season, and redshirt freshmen Bit Klecker, Anastasia Korzenowski, Molly Roach, Sophie Schmitz, Tate Sweeney, and Jaycie Thomsen all competed in uniform for the first time in their careers. Gopher rookies Libby Halbmaier, Elena Hayday, Taylor Krone, Becca Langer, and Courtney West have all raced unattached as well.
Gophers Celebrate Track & Field Stadium Grand Opening
The University of Minnesota and Gopher Athletics celebrated a new era of track and field with the grand opening of the University of Minnesota Track and Field Stadium on Monday, Sept. 17. Located in the heart of the new Athletes Village area, this facility will become synonymous with track & field excellence in the Midwest. It will not only provide a first-class experience for the Gophers, but it will also provide a wonderful venue for the state's largest amateur meets and a Minnesota option for USA Track & Field to place its marquee events in the Upper Midwest.
The University of Minnesota Track and Field Stadium gives Minnesota its first opportunity in more than 15 years to host home outdoor meets, including Big Ten and NCAA competition. The facility features a nine-lane track with the Beynon 2000 surface, full-field event hosting capabilities, versatile configuration, fully enclosed, heated warm-up and cool down areas, and grandstands with the capacity to host major competitions.
Who is Back?
The Gophers return four of their seven runners from the 2017 NCAA Championship in Megan Hasz, Abby Kohut-Jackson, Bethany Hasz, and Elyse Prescott along with alternates Patty O'Brien and Zetta Mason. Bethany Hasz and Megan Hasz return after earning NCAA all-region and All-Big Ten honors last season.
Who is New?
Five rookies joined the Gophers this season in Libby Halbmaier (Minnetonka, Minn.), Elena Hayday (Bloomington, Minn.), Taylor Krone (Anoka, Minn.), Becca Langer (Waukesha, Wis.), and Courtney West (Dodge Center, Minn.). Junior Maria Berg (New Prague, Minn.) is another newcomer for the Maroon & Gold after she transferred to the University of Minnesota after competing for Minnesota Duluth in both cross country and track & field as a freshman during the 2016-17 season and competing in cross country during the 2017 season.
Seven redshirt freshmen made their debuts racing in uniform for the Gophers after competing unattached last fall: Sam Baer (St. Louis Park, Minn.), Bit Klecker (Hopkins, Minn.), Anastasia Korzenowski (Chanhassen, Minn.), Molly Roach (Bloomington, Minn.), Sophie Schmitz (Willmar, Minn.), Tate Sweeney (Edina, Minn.), and Jaycie Thomsen (Maple Grove, Minn.). Redshirt sophomores Kayla Baker (Cloquet, Minn.), Maria Eastman (Victoria Minn.), and Olivia Hummel (Woodbury, Minn.) also made their debuts for the Maroon & Gold this fall.
Six Gophers Serving as Captains
Molly Eastman, Abby Lange, Patty O'Brien, Paige Peschel, Elyse Prescott, and Kelsey Sather are leading the Gophers as captains this fall. O'Brien and Peschel return to Minnesota's leadership group as fifth-year seniors and second-year captains joined by fellow fifth-year senior Eastman. Lange and Sather are both redshirt juniors for the Gophers, and Prescott rounds out Minnesota's six captains as she enters her junior season.
Home Meets
Minnesota hosted five home meets at Les Bolstad Course this fall: Intrasquad 5K (Aug. 31), Oz Memorial Run (Sept. 7), 33rd annual Roy Griak Invitational (Sept. 29), Jack's Twilight Run (Oct. 19), and Rocky's Run (Nov. 4).
###
Support Women's Cross Country
Support the University of Minnesota Women's Cross Country program. Your support helps our student-athletes succeed athletically, academically, and socially. It takes just seconds to make a monthly or one-time donation. Thank you for your support! Give Now
Follow Minnesota Women's Cross Country
2025 Griak Invitational Hype
Friday, September 19
Cinematic Recap: 2025 Oz Memorial
Tuesday, September 02
Cinematic Recap: 2024 NCAA Championships
Monday, November 25
NCAA Championship Send Off
Thursday, November 21