The University of Minnesota Duluth men’s and women’s cross country teams are both set to compete in the NCAA II Cross Country Central Region Championships this Saturday in Joplin, Mo. and hosted by Missouri Southern University.
The race will be the official qualifying meet for the 2024 NCAA II Cross Country National Championships, held this year in Sacramento, Calif. on November 23rd.
The Central Region qualifier will consist of athletes from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC), the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA), and the Great American Conference (GAC). The racing distance for the men will be 10k, and 6k for the women. All the action will take place on the Tom Rutledge Cross Country Course.
Bulldogs to Watch: The UMD men will return two of their top five from last year’s regional competition; Owen Dickenson and 2024 NSIC Outstanding Senior of the Year Jack Van Kempen. Both fifth-years earned All-Conference accolades at this year’s NSIC Championships, and will look to carry this energy into the weekend.
“Coming off a great battle at the NSIC Championships, the Bulldog men are ready to move up in distance at the NCAA Regional Championships,” said head coach Brette Jensen. “Jack Van Kempen and Owen Dickenson will lead our group as seasoned veterans, especially at this longer distance. The depth we have on the men’s team will ultimately carry us through and I’m excited to see them battle.”
On the women’s side, the Bulldogs will return 2024 NSIC Athlete to Watch Franny Seidel. She and fellow fifth year Maddie Verkerke are coming off first team All-Conference finishes at this year’s NSIC Championships, and are expected to carry that momentum into the weekend.
“The Bulldog women showed incredible depth at the NSIC championships,” said Jensen. “Franny Seidel and Maddie Verkerke led our team efforts as they turned in impressive results, and this will definitely carry over into Regionals on a course that they are both very familiar with. I’m excited to see how our team competes with some of the top teams in the nation once again.”
Keep an Eye Out: The NSIC will be well represented at the Central Region meet, providing one nationally ranked team on the men’s side in The University of Augustana (24th), and three teams for the women: the Augustana Vikings (eighth), The University of Mary (16th), and Winona State University (25th).
The men’s 10k race will start at 10:00am CST with the women’s 6k to follow at 11:15am CST.
Find parking info, course maps, and live results for the weekend’s activities using this link.
