2014 MIAC Championship Meet Preview

MIAC men's cross country preview courtesy of Matt Higgins and the MIAC office

Click here for the complete MIAC men's cross country preview

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The 2014 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Men's Cross Country Championships will be held Saturday at St. Paul's Como Golf Course, and the St. Olaf men not only return as the two-time defending conference champions to headline a talented field of runners, but the No. 4-ranked Oles are the defending national champions as well.

A year ago, Head Coach Phil Lundin's team dominated en route to its second-straight MIAC title, as the Oles swept the top three individual places and put four in the top six, six in the top 10 and seven in the top 16. St. Olaf won with 20 points and a decisive 61-point margin over runner-up Carleton, and the Oles' score was the lowest in the MIAC Championships since St. Thomas scored 19 in 1986.

This season, St. Olaf has been just as impressive while defending its MIAC and Division III titles. The Oles opened the season ranked No. 1 in the nation, and have never dropped lower than its current No. 4 national ranking. St. Olaf is joined by No. 23-ranked Carleton and No. 33-ranked St. Thomas in the USTFCCA Coaches' Poll. The Oles are also ranked No. 1 in the Central Region, and are joined in the top 10 by No. 4 Carleton, No. 5 St. Thomas, No. 7 Saint John's, No. 9 Hamline and No. 10 Gustavus, to give the MIAC six of the region's top 10 teams.

A year ago, Carleton (81 points) was the runner-up to its Northfield, Minn., rival. St. Thomas (104) barely edged Saint John's (108) for third, and Hamline (175) rounded out the top five. Macalester (184) was sixth, Gustavus (207) was seventh, Concordia (226) finished eighth and Saint Mary's (239), Bethel (243) and Augsburg (274) rounded out the final 2013 standings.

The Oles aren't just trying to add to their team dynasty on Saturday. Senior star Grant Wintheiser is also looking to make individual MIAC history. Wintheiser won the MIAC men's race in both 2012 and 2013 and Saturday will aim to become just the second runner in conference history to win three MIAC championships in a row. He also could become just the third to win three MIAC titles overall. St. Thomas' Bert Budd is the only other MIAC runner to ever win three in a row (1949-1951) and Saint John's John Cragg also won three in his career (1967, 1969, 1970).

Wintheiser's winning time of 24:48.9 a year ago is the second-fastest recorded in MIAC Championship history since the course expanded beyond four miles in 1968. Only Saint John's Chris Erichsen's 24:44.2 in 2007 was faster than Wintheiser's first-place time in 2013. The senior is writing a great final chapter to his stellar career, and was named the MIAC Men's Cross Country Athlete-of-the-Week twice this fall.

St. Olaf's hopes for a three-peat go well beyond Wintheiser, as the Oles return nearly their entire team from a year ago. Jake Brown (second), Jake Campbell (sophomore) and Phillip Meyer (eighth) all joined Wintneiser on the All-MIAC team in 2013, and Paul Escher (16th) earned Honorable Mention honors.

There are three other All-Conference runners back this season, as Carleton's Jonah Barry, Augsburg's Mohamed Mohamed and Saint Mary's Aaron Haley all return after finishing in the top 13 at the MIAC meet a year ago. St. Thomas' Jacob Gerhartz, Ben Rascher and Dylan Baumann and Saint John's Preston Zimmy also return after earning All-MIAC Honorable Mention Honors (places 16-25) at the 2013 Championships. Gerhartz started his 2014 season strong, winning the MIAC Men's Cross Country Athlete-of-the-Week award on Sept. 2.

Several other talented runners throughout the league also return, and should make for a competitive season and championship. Carleton's Hart Hornor (three times) and Saint John's Thomas Feichtinger (twice) each won the MIAC Men's Cross Country Athlete-of-the-Week award multiple times this fall and could be among Wintheiser's top competitors for the title.

Hamline has a pair of talented seniors back atop its lineup in Chris Gill and Ryan Peterson. Macalester will again be led by top runner Joe Giamberdino and also has high hopes for sophomore standout Lachlan Hinwood. Gustavus will be led by a pair of talented sophomores - Thomas Knobbe and Evan Jones, and Concordia will count on senior Ryan Sederquist and sophomore Carl Wahlin to lead the way for the Cobbers.

In addition to Haley, Saint Mary's welcomes back sophomore Jovan Newsum, who has consistently been the Cardinals' No. 2 runner. Bethel has been without injured All-American Matt Berens, but has gotten great performances out of junior Thomas Ritter and sophomore Connor Haugen throughout the fall. Augsburg is certainly glad All-MIAC runner Mohamed is back in the lineup, and 2014 top runner Abdullahi Salan and senior Luke Iverson add to the Auggies' hopes to ascend up the MIAC standings on Saturday.

The men's 8K championship race will begin Saturday's meet at 2:15 p.m. and the women's 6k race will follow at 3:15 p.m. Once the results are tabulated and deemed final, a short awards ceremony will follow the conclusion of the men's race on the hillside near the clubhouse. The top 15 runners in each race will be honored as All-Conference selections, with runners finishing in places 16-to-25 receiving All-Conference Honorable Mention. The two team champions will also be honored and awarded their championship plaque.

Spectators are encouraged to attend the event and admission is free. All spectators are reminded to stay out of the runners' way on the course, and no dogs, bikes or artificial noisemakers are allowed on the course.

The MIAC has a home page for the event, which will be the first place to find results, recaps, photos and more online following the conclusion of the championships. The page also includes course maps for both the men's and women's races, directions to Como Park Golf Course and other helpful links.

Carleton College is serving as the host institution for this year's championship and athletic training services will be provided by MIAC partner Twin Cities Orthopedic. Bethel University will again be collecting used athletic shoes to be redistributed to those in need through the Soles4Souls organization. There will be a collection bin at the MIAC Championships. There will also be a very limited number of MIAC Cross Country Championship shirts available for purchase in the clubhouse.