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Linda Weigang
Freshman Linda Weigang led the Skyhawks with a 6th place finish at the Lewis Crossover

Cross country places ahead of nationally ranked foes at Lewis Crossover Invitational

10/7/2023 5:04:00 PM

By: Angela Roberts, Assistant AD - Communications
ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – In a race with large implications for the postseason, the Fort Lewis College men's and women's cross country teams proved they deserve recognition on the national stage.

The men raced alongside 30 programs, nine of which are nationally ranked, and came away with an ninth-place finish. For the women, in a field with 10 of 33 programs in the national ranks, the Skyhawks earned an eighth-place finish.

Men's Results (9th, 279 points)
The men's 8k saw 337 competitors toeing the line. Fort Lewis was led by sophomore Elijah Smith who placed 22nd with a time of 24:37.0 to establish a personal best. Senior Conner Dosmann followed in 47th place with a personal best time of 24:56.9. The team's third finisher was senior Henry Barth (25:03.0) who managed to cross the line in 59th place and earn a personal best despite losing a shoe one mile into the course. Rounding out the top five for Fort Lewis were sophomore Bean Minor (71st, 25:11.9, PR) and junior Caden Resendez (84th, 25:17.6). The final two finishers for the Skyhawks were Brady Burrough (25:34.0) and senior Ethan Bartlett (25:43.0) who placed 118th and 129th, respectively.

The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference was well-represented with three teams finishing in the top-eight. Colorado School of Mines took home the team title, followed closely by Colorado Christian. Sophomore Matthew Storer of Colorado Christian was the individual winner with a time of 23:46.7.

Comments from Coach Jakubowski
"The men overcame a lot of obstacles leading up to and even in this race. We have two of the top seven coming off injury and running very little and they ran great today.  Henry, who was our top finisher at Western, lost his shoe at mile one and finished the last four barefoot. The men also proved they belong in the top 25 and were only six points off the #10 team.  These guys were not satisfied with the race because they knew they were better than what they ran. We will train right through conference and put all our focus on regionals with the goal of lining up in Joplin at the DII national championships." 

Women's Results (8th, 244 points)
The women's 6k had 317 entries, including student-athletes from four RMAC teams. The Skyhawks were led by freshman Linda Weigang who ran herself into the national spotlight with an impressive sixth-place finish and a time of 21:24.7. She was the top-finisher among conference opponents. Senior Katie Heck made her return to the scene after an All-American season in 2022. Heck placed 36th with a time of 22:09.9. Junior Brandy Ray followed with a personal best time of 22:28.8 to cross the line in 55th. Rounding out the top five for Fort Lewis, it was sophomore Mikenna Hoffman (22:37.1) and senior Katherine Brown (22:59.6) who placed 64th and 93rd, respectively, and each earned personal bests. The final two finishers for the Skyhawks were sophomore Marisol Castilleja (128th, 23:18.5) and senior Peyton Burnside (195th, 24:03.6).

Colorado School of Mines earned the team title, followed by Grand Valley State and Lewis University. Colorado Christian earned fifth place. The individual title went to junior Lindsay Cunningham of Winona State University with a time of 20:06.8.

Comments from Coach Jakubowski
"If I could sum up the women's race in a word it would be 'fantastic'. They went out and showed that they belong in the top 25 by taking down the 23rd, 26th, and 29th-ranked teams in the county. Linda has proven that she will be a force at the conference, regional, and national level. The great thing is we have more room for growth. Katie has just got back to running, so look for her to be up there at the conference meet and that will change this team a lot.  I'm so proud of these women, and we are leaving happy but not satisfied. We will not be satisfied until we are on the start line at the NCAA DII national championships."

Up Next
The team will have two weeks to prepare for this year's RMAC Championships, hosted by MSU Denver at Washington Park. It is a familiar course for the Skyhawks as the team competed in both the MSU Denver Roadrunner Invite and the NCAA South Central Regional at the same location in 2022.

At last year's RMAC Championships, Fort Lewis was fortunate enough to host the field at Hillcrest Golf Course for the first time in program history. The men's team placed eighth while the women's placed seventh. Katie Heck earned First Team All-Conference accolades with a 13th-place finish.
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