Blue Hawks compete at NAIA nationals
Vancouver, Wash. – It was a banner year for Dickinson State cross country, as both the men's and women's teams earned North Star Athletic Association titles allowing them both to compete as a team at the NAIA National Championships on Friday morning. With 36 teams in each field, the Blue Hawk men finished in 31st place while the women came in 33rd.
"The team competed hard today," said head coach Shayne Wittkopp. "We are proud of the performance that we were able to put together. The course was soggy and pretty tight but the kids battled the whole time."
On the men's side, Caleb Sarsland led DSU, coming in 118th with a time of 26 minutes and 37 seconds for the 8-kilometer race. He was followed by Fynn Krenz (140), Will Flowers (179), Griffin Obrigewitch (209), Logan Ackman (216), Tyrel Ackman (230) and Garin Andersen (242).
For the women, Emberlyn Hoffman-Gaschk finished her impressive season with a 119th place finish in 24 minutes and 8 seconds for the 6-kilometer race. She was followed by Natalie Lile (155), Elizabeth Widmer (190), Lauren Taylor (194), Alexius Miller (201), Morgan Aune (235), and Loli Jarrett (240).