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2018 Cross Country Season in Review
11/28/2018 4:21:00 PM | Women's Cross Country
Minnesota wrapped up the 2018 season with a 29th-place finish at the NCAA Championship.
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Golden Gopher women's cross country team wrapped up the 2018 season with a 29th-place finish at the NCAA Championship after placing third at the NCAA Midwest Regional and coming in sixth at the Big Ten Championship.
Bethany Hasz and Megan Hasz led the Gophers as NCAA All-Midwest Region and All-Big Ten Conference honorees, and B. Hasz's 49th-place individual finish at the national meet was the highest by a Gopher since Liz Berkholtz placed 44th in 2015. The Maroon & Gold won the program's fifth Roy Griak Invitational team title, and 15 Gophers recorded 6K PRs during the 2018 season.
TRIO LEADS GOPHERS ALL SEASON
Bethany Hasz, Megan Hasz, and Patty O'Brien led the way as Minnesota's top three runners this year. B. Hasz was Minnesota's number one runner in all six races in which she competed while M. Hasz led the Gophers once and finished second on the team in six races. O'Brien was second on the team at the Oz Memorial and finished third for the Gophers in six other races.
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.
CAREER-BEST MARKS
Fifteen Gophers recorded career-best 6K times this season, and Bethany Hasz clocked the fastest time on the team at 20:14.1. Five Gophers recorded 5K personal records as well.
FOUR GOPHERS MOVE UP ALL-TIME LIST
With a career-best 6K time of 20:14.1 at the Big Ten Championship, Bethany Hasz climbed from sixth to fourth on the Gophers' all-time list behind Stephanie Price (19:55.50), Megan Duwell (20:06.90), and Madeline Strandemo (20:13.5). Patty O'Brien (21:26.5) and Anastasia Korzenowski (21:27.4) ran PRs at NCAA Pre-Nationals to land 42nd and 43rd in program history, respectively, while Tate Sweeney's career-best time of 21:33.3 at Jack's Run put her 49th among all-time Gophers. With PRs from previous seasons, Megan Hasz (20:16.0, 2017, fifth), Abby Kohut-Jackson (21:13.57, 2017, 34th), Elyse Prescott (21:19.84, 2017, 38th), and Molly Eastman (21:32.6, 2016, 47th) ended the season ranked among the top-50 all-time Gophers as well.
GOPHER HISTORY AT THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP
This season marked the program's 24th team appearance at the national 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.
NEW NCAA STREAK CONTINUES
This season marked Minnesota's second-straight NCAA Championship appearance and the program's 13th team appearance in the last 14 seasons after the Gophers earned 11-straight NCAA berths from 2005 to 2015 but missed qualifying as a team in 2016.
SIX GOPHERS SERVE AS CAPTAINS
Molly Eastman, Abby Lange, Patty O'Brien, Paige Peschel, Elyse Prescott, and Kelsey Sather led the Gophers as captains this season. O'Brien and Peschel returned to Minnesota's leadership group as fifth-year seniors and second-year captains joined by fellow fifth-year senior Eastman while Lange, Sather, and Prescott joined Eastman in their first seasons as captains.
GOPHERS MAKE DEBUTS
Gophers Kayla Baker, Maria Berg, Maria Eastman, and Olivia Hummel made their debuts for the Maroon & Gold this fall, and redshirt freshmen Sam Baer, Bit Klecker, Anastasia Korzenowski, Molly Roach, Sophie Schmitz, Tate Sweeney, and Jaycie Thomsen all competed in uniform for the first time in their careers as well. Gopher rookies Libby Halbmaier, Elena Hayday, Taylor Krone, Becca Langer, and Courtney West all raced unattached.
GOPHERS CELEBRATE TRACK AND FIELD STADIUM GRAND OPENING
The University of Minnesota and Gopher Athletics celebrated a new era of track & 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 and heated warm-up and cool down areas, and grandstands with the capacity to host major competitions.
2018 GOPHER MEET SUMMARIES
AUG. 31 • INTRASQUAD 5K (LES BOLSTAD COURSE)
Megan Hasz, Bethany Hasz, and Olivia Hummel were the top three finishers when Minnesota hosted its annual Intrasquad 5K to unofficially kick off the season. M. Hasz won in 18:32.2 with B. Hasz on her heels in 18:33.2 as runner-up. Hummel finished third in 18:58.3 with Abby Kohut-Jackson (19:11.6) and Patty O'Brien (19:16.5) rounding out the top five finishers.
SEPT. 7 • OZ MEMORIAL (LES BOLSTAD COURSE)
Minnesota opened the 2018 season by winning the team and individual titles at the Oz Memorial Run. Megan Hasz paced the field in a season-opening 6K time of 21:43.2 for the win, followed by runner-up Patty O'Brien in 22:32.5, and Anastasia Korzenowski in third (22:34.7). Molly Eastman and Elyse Prescott rounded out the scoring finishes for Minnesota in fourth place and fifth place, respectively, followed by Zetta Mason, Jaycie Thomsen, and Olivia Hummel as the Gophers took the top eight overall places and Minnesota won the team title with a perfect 15 points. In total, Minnesota had 14 of the top 15 and 18 of the top 20 finishers. Behind the Gophers, Minnesota State was second with 63 points, followed by Drake with 72 points and Concordia St. Paul with 94 points.
SEPT. 21 • BATTLE IN BEANTOWN (BOSTON, MA)
Minnesota placed fourth in the team standings led by top-five individual finishes from runner-up Bethany Hasz and fifth-place finisher Megan Hasz at the Coast-to-Coast Battle in Beantown 5K. B. Hasz clocked a 5K time of 17:17 as the runner-up in a field of 216 finishers; she was seven seconds behind individual champion Abbey Wheeler of Providence, who won in 17:10. M. Hasz finished in 17:21, and Patty O'Brien rounded out Minnesota's top-three finishers in 43rd place overall in 18:04. The Gophers' next five runners all finished within seven seconds of one another as Olivia Hummel (18:10) and Elyse Prescott (18:12) were Minnesota's fourth and fifth runners, finishing 55th and 57th, respectively. Abby Kohut-Jackson (18:13), Anastasia Korzenowski (18:17), and Jaycie Thomsen (18:17) were the next three Gophers. Ole Miss took home the team title with 102 points ahead of runner-up Georgia Tech with 105 points. Utah (161), Minnesota (162), and Dartmouth (168) completed the top five teams, finishing within seven points of one another.
SEPT. 22 • ST. OLAF INVITE (NORTHFIELD, MN)
Minnesota won the St. Olaf Invitational led by top-five finishes from runner-up Maria Eastman, Lindsey Greenlund, and Sarah Werking. Eastman posted then a career-best 6K time of 22.50.9 to lead the Gophers racing in uniform while Minnesota freshman Libby Halbmaier won the 6K while competing unattached. Halbmaier edged Eastman by 0.8 seconds with a winning time of 22:50.1 to pace the field of 157 finishers. Greenlund finished fourth overall in 23:03.2, followed by Werking in fifth (23:07.4). Ally Smith (23:10.9) finished as the fourth scoring Gopher in seventh place overall, and Kelli Schmidt (23:42.0), Abby Kargol (23:43.6), and Haley Rasmussen (23:47.2) completed Minnesota's top seven finishers in 11th, 12th, and 13th, respectively as the Gophers took home the team title with 24 points. Carleton was the team runner-up with 42 points, followed by Minnesota State (86), Manitoba (142), and host St. Olaf (154) among the top-five teams.
SEPT. 29 • ROY GRIAK INVITATIONAL (LES BOLSTAD COURSE)
Bethany Hasz and Megan Hasz paced a field of 151 finishers to lead Minnesota to the team title in the Jack Johnson Women's Gold Division I Race at the 33rd annual Roy Griak Invitational. B. Hasz won the Griak individual crown after placing 11th a year ago, clocking a 6K time of 20:47.9 with M. Hasz on her heels in 20:54.3. Patty O'Brien (14th) and Jaycie Thomsen (17th) earned top-20 finishes as Minnesota's third and fourth runners, respectively, and Molly Eastman rounded out the Gophers' scoring positions in 21st overall. The Maroon & Gold scored 52 points to run away with the team title, defeating runner-up Cal Baptist (82 points) by 30 points.
OCT. 12 • BRADLEY CLASSIC (PEORIA, IL)
Minnesota placed 17th in the team standings at the Bradley "Pink" Classic led by Lindsey Greenlund, Abby Kargol, and Sarah Werking. Greenlund ran 21:51.2 to place 52nd overall in a field of 298 finishers, followed by Kargol in 22:06.8 for 91st place. Werking (22:14.3) and Maria Eastman (22:21.4) both ran then career-best times as Minnesota's third and fourth runners in 101st and 116th, respectively, and Ally Smith rounded out the Gophers' scoring finishes in 22:28.5 for 130th place. Kelli Schmidt (22:44.0) and Sophie Schmitz (22:54.2) both ran season-best 6K times for the Gophers as well.
OCT. 13 • PRE-NATIONALS (MADISON, WI)
At the Wisconsin Pre-Nats, Bethany Hasz and Megan Hasz earned top-15 individual finishes to lead the Gophers to a seventh-place team showing in the Cardinal Race. Minnesota scored 260 points to place seventh in the 35-team field led by B. Hasz's fifth-place showing in 20:18.3. M. Hasz was 14th in 20:31.1, followed by Patty O'Brien (21:26.5) and Anastasia Korzenowski (21:27.4) in 74th and 75th, respectively, as the Gophers' third and fourth runners. Jaycie Thomsen ran 21:40.9 for 92nd place to round out Minnesota's scoring finishes while Molly Eastman (21:46.6) and Elyse Prescott (22:11.0) completed the squad's top seven.
OCT. 13 • TORI NEUBAUER INVITATIONAL (ETTRICK, WI)
The Gophers placed sixth in the team standings with 211 points led by Haley Rasmussen (23:01.9) in 20th place, followed by Paige Peschel (23:24.6) in 26th and Kayla Baker (24:00.2) in 46th at the Tori Neubauer Invitational hosted by UW-La Crosse. Bit Klecker (24:10.0) and Kelsey Sather (24:30.0) completed Minnesota's top five.
OCT. 19 • JACK'S TWILIGHT RUN (LES BOLSTAD COURSE)
Tate Sweeney led the Gophers as the female runner-up at Jack's Twilight Run. In a field of 50 total finishers in the open 6K race, Sweeney ran a career-best 21:33.3 for eighth place overall. Libby Halbmaier finished third while racing unattached, also clocking a PR of 21:36.4, while Lindsey Greenlund (21:40.0) and Sarah Werking (21:55.5) rounded out Minnesota's top three attached athletes with career-best times of their own.
OCT. 28 • BIG TEN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP (LINCOLN, NE)
Bethany Hasz placed fifth and Megan Hasz took 12th to lead the Gophers with All-Big Ten performances 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. 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. Patty O'Brien finished 48th overall and 45th in the team race, marking the best B1G finish of her career with a time of 21:31.5. Abby Kohut-Jackson was Minnesota's fourth runner in a season-best 21:39.9 for 54th overall followed by Molly Eastman in 21:49.1 for 59th place overall.
NOV. 4 • ROCKY'S RUN (LES BOLSTAD COURSE)
This year marked the 38th annual running of Rocky's Run at Les Bolstad Course. Tate Sweeney was the female champion in fifth place overall in 22:59.4, followed by runner-up Sarah Werking in 23:01.3 and Libby Halbmaier in third in 23:23.0. Carissa Dock (23:30.8) and Ally Smith (23:48.8) rounded out the top five, and the Gophers had nine of the top 10 female finishers. The race was open to the public and saw 91 finishers complete the 6K course in a mix of rain and snow with the temperature hovering around 35 degrees Fahrenheit.
NOV. 9 • NCAA MIDWEST REGIONAL (PEORIA, IL)
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 in eighth place overall 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.
NOV. 17 • NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP (MADISON, WI)
Minnesota made a second-straight NCAA team appearance and the program's 13th team berth in the last 14 years, placing 29th in the team race at the NCAA Championship. Bethany Hasz led the Maroon & Gold for the sixth time in as many races this season, finishing just shy of All-America status in 49th overall with a time of 20:43.49. Megan Hasz was second for the Gophers in 105th place overall, clocking a time of 21:07.49. After previously serving as an alternate at the national meet, Patty O'Brien made her NCAA Championship debut as Minnesota's third runner in 22:04.66 for 212th place with Abby Kohut-Jackson close behind in 22:07.67 for 215th place. Anastasia Korzenowski (22:21.15), Jaycie Thomsen (22:26.07), and Molly Eastman (22:32.54) made their NCAA debuts for the Gophers as well.
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Bethany Hasz and Megan Hasz led the Gophers as NCAA All-Midwest Region and All-Big Ten Conference honorees, and B. Hasz's 49th-place individual finish at the national meet was the highest by a Gopher since Liz Berkholtz placed 44th in 2015. The Maroon & Gold won the program's fifth Roy Griak Invitational team title, and 15 Gophers recorded 6K PRs during the 2018 season.
TRIO LEADS GOPHERS ALL SEASON
Bethany Hasz, Megan Hasz, and Patty O'Brien led the way as Minnesota's top three runners this year. B. Hasz was Minnesota's number one runner in all six races in which she competed while M. Hasz led the Gophers once and finished second on the team in six races. O'Brien was second on the team at the Oz Memorial and finished third for the Gophers in six other races.
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.
CAREER-BEST MARKS
Fifteen Gophers recorded career-best 6K times this season, and Bethany Hasz clocked the fastest time on the team at 20:14.1. Five Gophers recorded 5K personal records as well.
FOUR GOPHERS MOVE UP ALL-TIME LIST
With a career-best 6K time of 20:14.1 at the Big Ten Championship, Bethany Hasz climbed from sixth to fourth on the Gophers' all-time list behind Stephanie Price (19:55.50), Megan Duwell (20:06.90), and Madeline Strandemo (20:13.5). Patty O'Brien (21:26.5) and Anastasia Korzenowski (21:27.4) ran PRs at NCAA Pre-Nationals to land 42nd and 43rd in program history, respectively, while Tate Sweeney's career-best time of 21:33.3 at Jack's Run put her 49th among all-time Gophers. With PRs from previous seasons, Megan Hasz (20:16.0, 2017, fifth), Abby Kohut-Jackson (21:13.57, 2017, 34th), Elyse Prescott (21:19.84, 2017, 38th), and Molly Eastman (21:32.6, 2016, 47th) ended the season ranked among the top-50 all-time Gophers as well.
GOPHER HISTORY AT THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP
This season marked the program's 24th team appearance at the national 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.
NEW NCAA STREAK CONTINUES
This season marked Minnesota's second-straight NCAA Championship appearance and the program's 13th team appearance in the last 14 seasons after the Gophers earned 11-straight NCAA berths from 2005 to 2015 but missed qualifying as a team in 2016.
SIX GOPHERS SERVE AS CAPTAINS
Molly Eastman, Abby Lange, Patty O'Brien, Paige Peschel, Elyse Prescott, and Kelsey Sather led the Gophers as captains this season. O'Brien and Peschel returned to Minnesota's leadership group as fifth-year seniors and second-year captains joined by fellow fifth-year senior Eastman while Lange, Sather, and Prescott joined Eastman in their first seasons as captains.
GOPHERS MAKE DEBUTS
Gophers Kayla Baker, Maria Berg, Maria Eastman, and Olivia Hummel made their debuts for the Maroon & Gold this fall, and redshirt freshmen Sam Baer, Bit Klecker, Anastasia Korzenowski, Molly Roach, Sophie Schmitz, Tate Sweeney, and Jaycie Thomsen all competed in uniform for the first time in their careers as well. Gopher rookies Libby Halbmaier, Elena Hayday, Taylor Krone, Becca Langer, and Courtney West all raced unattached.
GOPHERS CELEBRATE TRACK AND FIELD STADIUM GRAND OPENING
The University of Minnesota and Gopher Athletics celebrated a new era of track & 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 and heated warm-up and cool down areas, and grandstands with the capacity to host major competitions.
2018 GOPHER MEET SUMMARIES
AUG. 31 • INTRASQUAD 5K (LES BOLSTAD COURSE)
Megan Hasz, Bethany Hasz, and Olivia Hummel were the top three finishers when Minnesota hosted its annual Intrasquad 5K to unofficially kick off the season. M. Hasz won in 18:32.2 with B. Hasz on her heels in 18:33.2 as runner-up. Hummel finished third in 18:58.3 with Abby Kohut-Jackson (19:11.6) and Patty O'Brien (19:16.5) rounding out the top five finishers.
SEPT. 7 • OZ MEMORIAL (LES BOLSTAD COURSE)
Minnesota opened the 2018 season by winning the team and individual titles at the Oz Memorial Run. Megan Hasz paced the field in a season-opening 6K time of 21:43.2 for the win, followed by runner-up Patty O'Brien in 22:32.5, and Anastasia Korzenowski in third (22:34.7). Molly Eastman and Elyse Prescott rounded out the scoring finishes for Minnesota in fourth place and fifth place, respectively, followed by Zetta Mason, Jaycie Thomsen, and Olivia Hummel as the Gophers took the top eight overall places and Minnesota won the team title with a perfect 15 points. In total, Minnesota had 14 of the top 15 and 18 of the top 20 finishers. Behind the Gophers, Minnesota State was second with 63 points, followed by Drake with 72 points and Concordia St. Paul with 94 points.
SEPT. 21 • BATTLE IN BEANTOWN (BOSTON, MA)
Minnesota placed fourth in the team standings led by top-five individual finishes from runner-up Bethany Hasz and fifth-place finisher Megan Hasz at the Coast-to-Coast Battle in Beantown 5K. B. Hasz clocked a 5K time of 17:17 as the runner-up in a field of 216 finishers; she was seven seconds behind individual champion Abbey Wheeler of Providence, who won in 17:10. M. Hasz finished in 17:21, and Patty O'Brien rounded out Minnesota's top-three finishers in 43rd place overall in 18:04. The Gophers' next five runners all finished within seven seconds of one another as Olivia Hummel (18:10) and Elyse Prescott (18:12) were Minnesota's fourth and fifth runners, finishing 55th and 57th, respectively. Abby Kohut-Jackson (18:13), Anastasia Korzenowski (18:17), and Jaycie Thomsen (18:17) were the next three Gophers. Ole Miss took home the team title with 102 points ahead of runner-up Georgia Tech with 105 points. Utah (161), Minnesota (162), and Dartmouth (168) completed the top five teams, finishing within seven points of one another.
SEPT. 22 • ST. OLAF INVITE (NORTHFIELD, MN)
Minnesota won the St. Olaf Invitational led by top-five finishes from runner-up Maria Eastman, Lindsey Greenlund, and Sarah Werking. Eastman posted then a career-best 6K time of 22.50.9 to lead the Gophers racing in uniform while Minnesota freshman Libby Halbmaier won the 6K while competing unattached. Halbmaier edged Eastman by 0.8 seconds with a winning time of 22:50.1 to pace the field of 157 finishers. Greenlund finished fourth overall in 23:03.2, followed by Werking in fifth (23:07.4). Ally Smith (23:10.9) finished as the fourth scoring Gopher in seventh place overall, and Kelli Schmidt (23:42.0), Abby Kargol (23:43.6), and Haley Rasmussen (23:47.2) completed Minnesota's top seven finishers in 11th, 12th, and 13th, respectively as the Gophers took home the team title with 24 points. Carleton was the team runner-up with 42 points, followed by Minnesota State (86), Manitoba (142), and host St. Olaf (154) among the top-five teams.
SEPT. 29 • ROY GRIAK INVITATIONAL (LES BOLSTAD COURSE)
Bethany Hasz and Megan Hasz paced a field of 151 finishers to lead Minnesota to the team title in the Jack Johnson Women's Gold Division I Race at the 33rd annual Roy Griak Invitational. B. Hasz won the Griak individual crown after placing 11th a year ago, clocking a 6K time of 20:47.9 with M. Hasz on her heels in 20:54.3. Patty O'Brien (14th) and Jaycie Thomsen (17th) earned top-20 finishes as Minnesota's third and fourth runners, respectively, and Molly Eastman rounded out the Gophers' scoring positions in 21st overall. The Maroon & Gold scored 52 points to run away with the team title, defeating runner-up Cal Baptist (82 points) by 30 points.
OCT. 12 • BRADLEY CLASSIC (PEORIA, IL)
Minnesota placed 17th in the team standings at the Bradley "Pink" Classic led by Lindsey Greenlund, Abby Kargol, and Sarah Werking. Greenlund ran 21:51.2 to place 52nd overall in a field of 298 finishers, followed by Kargol in 22:06.8 for 91st place. Werking (22:14.3) and Maria Eastman (22:21.4) both ran then career-best times as Minnesota's third and fourth runners in 101st and 116th, respectively, and Ally Smith rounded out the Gophers' scoring finishes in 22:28.5 for 130th place. Kelli Schmidt (22:44.0) and Sophie Schmitz (22:54.2) both ran season-best 6K times for the Gophers as well.
OCT. 13 • PRE-NATIONALS (MADISON, WI)
At the Wisconsin Pre-Nats, Bethany Hasz and Megan Hasz earned top-15 individual finishes to lead the Gophers to a seventh-place team showing in the Cardinal Race. Minnesota scored 260 points to place seventh in the 35-team field led by B. Hasz's fifth-place showing in 20:18.3. M. Hasz was 14th in 20:31.1, followed by Patty O'Brien (21:26.5) and Anastasia Korzenowski (21:27.4) in 74th and 75th, respectively, as the Gophers' third and fourth runners. Jaycie Thomsen ran 21:40.9 for 92nd place to round out Minnesota's scoring finishes while Molly Eastman (21:46.6) and Elyse Prescott (22:11.0) completed the squad's top seven.
OCT. 13 • TORI NEUBAUER INVITATIONAL (ETTRICK, WI)
The Gophers placed sixth in the team standings with 211 points led by Haley Rasmussen (23:01.9) in 20th place, followed by Paige Peschel (23:24.6) in 26th and Kayla Baker (24:00.2) in 46th at the Tori Neubauer Invitational hosted by UW-La Crosse. Bit Klecker (24:10.0) and Kelsey Sather (24:30.0) completed Minnesota's top five.
OCT. 19 • JACK'S TWILIGHT RUN (LES BOLSTAD COURSE)
Tate Sweeney led the Gophers as the female runner-up at Jack's Twilight Run. In a field of 50 total finishers in the open 6K race, Sweeney ran a career-best 21:33.3 for eighth place overall. Libby Halbmaier finished third while racing unattached, also clocking a PR of 21:36.4, while Lindsey Greenlund (21:40.0) and Sarah Werking (21:55.5) rounded out Minnesota's top three attached athletes with career-best times of their own.
OCT. 28 • BIG TEN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP (LINCOLN, NE)
Bethany Hasz placed fifth and Megan Hasz took 12th to lead the Gophers with All-Big Ten performances 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. 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. Patty O'Brien finished 48th overall and 45th in the team race, marking the best B1G finish of her career with a time of 21:31.5. Abby Kohut-Jackson was Minnesota's fourth runner in a season-best 21:39.9 for 54th overall followed by Molly Eastman in 21:49.1 for 59th place overall.
NOV. 4 • ROCKY'S RUN (LES BOLSTAD COURSE)
This year marked the 38th annual running of Rocky's Run at Les Bolstad Course. Tate Sweeney was the female champion in fifth place overall in 22:59.4, followed by runner-up Sarah Werking in 23:01.3 and Libby Halbmaier in third in 23:23.0. Carissa Dock (23:30.8) and Ally Smith (23:48.8) rounded out the top five, and the Gophers had nine of the top 10 female finishers. The race was open to the public and saw 91 finishers complete the 6K course in a mix of rain and snow with the temperature hovering around 35 degrees Fahrenheit.
NOV. 9 • NCAA MIDWEST REGIONAL (PEORIA, IL)
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 in eighth place overall 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.
NOV. 17 • NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP (MADISON, WI)
Minnesota made a second-straight NCAA team appearance and the program's 13th team berth in the last 14 years, placing 29th in the team race at the NCAA Championship. Bethany Hasz led the Maroon & Gold for the sixth time in as many races this season, finishing just shy of All-America status in 49th overall with a time of 20:43.49. Megan Hasz was second for the Gophers in 105th place overall, clocking a time of 21:07.49. After previously serving as an alternate at the national meet, Patty O'Brien made her NCAA Championship debut as Minnesota's third runner in 22:04.66 for 212th place with Abby Kohut-Jackson close behind in 22:07.67 for 215th place. Anastasia Korzenowski (22:21.15), Jaycie Thomsen (22:26.07), and Molly Eastman (22:32.54) made their NCAA debuts for the Gophers as well.
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