Improvement Movement
Concordia improved by a full 100 points and 44 seconds from last year's finish at the St. Olaf Invitational.
NORTHFIELD, Minn. (9/16/17)---Concordia had a pair of underclassmen finish in the Top 40 at the highly competitive St. Olaf Invitational and finished in 12th place as a team.
The 12th-place finish is a step up from last year when the Cobbers finish 14th at the meet. Concordia totaled 398 points last year but dropped that total by a full 100 points. CC's average time also took an impressive drop. In 2016 the Cobbers averaged a time of 28:46 while this year the team averaged 28:02.
Cobber freshman Munir Isahak led the team with a time of 27:22 over the 8K course. He finished in 32nd place and was only 18-seconds off of a Top 25 finish.
Sophomore Eric Wicklund was right behind Isahak as he crossed the line in 27:25 and was the No.36 finisher in the meet.
Isahak and Wicklund have been the Cobbers' Top 2 finishers all season long but the Olaf Invitational marks the first time this season that Isahak has finished ahead of Wicklund. Wicklund had posted better times at the Cobber Invite and then at the MSU Moorhead Twilight Meet on Sept. 8.
Erik Larson was the link between the Cobbers' Top 2 finishers and a group of three athletes who all finished within 6-seconds of one another. Larson clocked a 28:12 and was 75th in the overall individual race.
Brandon Quibell, Nick Solheim and Noah Kneeskern were the team's No.4,5, and 6 finishers at the meet. Quibell led the group of three with a time of 28:33. Solheim was next at 28:37 and Kneeskern was close behind at 28:39. All three broke into the Top 100 of the meet which featured 22 different schools and 278 individual runners.
FINAL TEAM STANDINGS:
1. Wis.-Eau Claire – 41
2. Minnesota-Duluth - 91
3. St. Olaf - 102
4. Carleton - 126
5. Willamette - 130
6. Winona State - 160
7. Central College - 229
8. Bethel (Minn.) – 241
9. Macalester - 257
10. Gustavus Adolphus - 268
11. Martin Luther - 268
12. Concordia-Moorhead - 297
13. Wis.-Superior – 347
14. St. Scholastica - 370
15. Saint Mary's (Minn.) - 376
16. Minnesota-Morris - 409
17. Augsburg - 555
18. Bethany Lutheran - 586
19. Northland – 610
WHAT'S NEXT: Concordia will continue with its mega-team meets when they compete in the prestigious Roy Griak Invitational hosted by the University of Minnesota on Saturday, Sept. 23 at 9 a.m.