Saturday was the first 6k of the season for the young Wildcat cross country team, but spectators at the St. Olaf Invitational never would have guessed, as the team ran their way to a top-ten finish.  Jessica Rogers, Kristina Poss, and Ashlee Bahlmann provided a solid 1-2-3 finish for the team, crossing the line within three seconds of each other. 

All three athletes ran their way into the St. Kate's history books, adding their names to the top-ten list of 6k times.  Rogers set a new PR of 24:27, Poss took about half a minute off her PR to run 24:28, and Bahlmann finished her first ever 6k in 24:29.  First-year Sophie Shogren finished in 25:11 and Steph Mueller rounded out the top five in 25:26. 

The Wildcats posted an impressive 59 second spread among their top five finishers, with the top-seven runners all finishing within 1:04 of one another.  Heidi Sande and Sarah Howe finished together at 25:34, with Julia Johnson right behind at 25:36.  First-year Jenna McElroy also had a strong first race, finishing in 25:48.

The Wildcats were 10th as a team, behind five Division II teams, and were fourth of the seven MIAC teams at the meet. 

Results