EVANSVILLE, IN –The constant and consistent daily message to compete as a team and support one another was rewarded at the highest level for the University of Mary women's cross country program. With four individuals earning All-American honors, the Marauders placed second at the 2017 NCAA Division II women's cross country championships. The national runner-up finish is the best NCAA mark for any UMary program.
This is the first time UMary has won an NCAA championship event trophy. The Marauders previous best finish at the NCAA cross country championships was fifth place in 2011. The top four teams earn hardware.
Ranked fifth nationally entering the meet, the Marauders exceeded their expectations and realized some dreams by posting a team score of 137. UMary finished just behind national champion Adams State as the Grizzlies checked in with 126 team points. Cal Baptist claimed third at 148 points and Chico State placed fourth (179).
"I am very happy for this group of women, our staff, our program, our university and our community," said Marauders head coach
Dennis Newell. "We showed what the pursuit of excellence looks like. Over the last 26 weeks, 25 women set out on a journey to see what the human spirit was capable of achieving. Today was just a small reflection of that journey. The competitive meet was the tangible result from the outside perspective but the actual product was learning to truly understand the pursuit of excellence. The lesson is that the pursuit and the effort is by far the most important aspect. Through the pursuit towards greatness we achieved a genuine bond with our relationships and that is truly a special entity. With so many ups and downs, with so many adjustments and choices made along the way, I can say through it all a second place finish at the most competitive competition of the year is beyond rewarding."
The Marauders were once again paced by senior
Alexis Zeis. The 2015 national champion and the 2016 runner-up placed 13
th overall in the country. The Bismarck, ND, native ends her storied cross country career as a four-time cross country All-American after ripping up the 6,000 meter Angel Mounds course in Evansville, IN, in a time of 21:18.9.
Zeis had plenty of teammates at the front of the pack to keep her company.
Jaiden Schuette, the runner-up in the Northern Sun championships, traversed the national championship course in 21:25.2 to place 17
th and 16
th in the team standings. Running one of the best races of her career, the junior from Bismarck, ND, improved her standing by 58 slots over last season when she placed 75
th.
Kate Fox, running in her second straight NCAA championship, snared 29
th overall and 25
th in the team standings. The sophomore from Wing, ND, powered her way to a time of 21:35.0. Last year's experience paid off for Fox, who placed 47
th in 2016.
Kaycie Stewart closes her Marauders cross country career with an incredible performance. The senior from Corvallis, MT, placed 37
th overall with a clocking of 21:41.1. She was 34
th in team scoring. After not finishing the race last season due to illness, Stewart finished 35 slots better than her sophomore season in 2015.
Zeis, Schuette, Fox and Stewart all earned NCAA All-American honors by finishing among the top 40 runners.
Closing out the Marauders scoring was sophomore
Bree Erickson. The Cambridge, MN, native covered the 6K course in 21:58.7 and placed 55
th overall and 48
th in the team rankings. It was her first national cross country meet.
Additionally, freshman
Sydney Wendt (22:52.7) placed 134
th overall and senior
Rebekkah Bond (23:14.8) finished 168
th.
Under the direction of head coach
Dennis Newell, this was the Marauders seventh national appearance since beginning NCAA competition in 2006. That was also the year Newell joined the UMary program.
NOTE: The University of Mary will host a welcome home party/media event for the University of Mary women's cross country team on Sunday, November 19, at 1:15 pm at the Bismarck Airport.
The Marauders flight is scheduled to arrive at 1:40 pm. Those attending the welcome home event should park in short term parking. Please bring in your parking ticket and it will be marked to provide you free parking for the event.
Should the Marauders cross country team travel party plans change, check for updates online at GoUMary.com and on Twitter at @umarysports and on the University of Mary Marauders Athletics Facebook page
#marauders#
