Cross Country schedule for Mount Mary College

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OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – The Association of Division III Independents named two Blue Angels to its All-Association Cross Country nominees this week. Junior harriers Emily Barker (Oconomowoc, Wis.) and Vanessa Schellinger (West Bend, Wis.) both took home awards, on the Second Team and Honorable Mention respectively.

Barker led the team in all five races she competed in this season, taking home top-25 honors in three contests. Her best early-season mark came at the UW-Parkside Midwest Open 5,000-meter meet where she placed 35th with a time of 20:09.05. She continued to improve as the 6K season progressed, notching a time of 24:53.0 at Wisconsin Lutheran's Warrior Open, good enough for 16th place overall.

Schellinger was a prime example of how one should continuously improve throughout the season, consistently taking off seconds from race to race. Her best time early in the season was over 24 minutes at the 5K UW-Parkside meet, but she turned in her finest performance at the NCAA Regional competition at Lake Breeze Golf Club in Winneconne, Wis., with a time of 26:28.74. That mark was tops on the Mount Mary team and shaved well over two minutes off her first 6K time—numbers impressive to the AD3I selection committee.

UC-Santa Cruz and Nebraska Wesleyan dominated the individual AD3I First and Second Team awards, as the Banana Slugs' sophomore Evelyn Borchard also took home Runner of the Year honors. University of Maine-Presque Isle's freshman Kayla Legassie earned Rookie of the Year award and coach Chris Smith was awarded Coach of the Year honors.

FIRST TEAM
Evelyn Borchard, So., UC-Santa Cruz
Jessica Meyer, Sr., UC-Santa Cruz
Gabi Jenkins, Fr., Nebraska Wesleyan University
Ali Tewes, Jr., Nebraska Wesleyan University
Erin Kautz, So., Nebraska Wesleyan University

SECOND TEAM
Kayla Legassie, Fr., University of Maine-Presque Isle
MacKenzie Steinauer, So., Nebraska Wesleyan University
Sarah Wheeldon, Sr., Nebraska Wesleyan University
Jennifer Contreras, Sr., UC-Santa Cruz
Emily Barker, Jr., Mount Mary College

HONORABLE MENTION
Nicole Green, Sr., University of Maine-Presque Isle
Teresa Mangan, Sr., St. Joseph's College
Kati Christoffel, Sr., University of Maine-Presque Isle
Vanessa Schellinger, Jr., Mount Mary College
Carly Langley, Sr., University of Maine-Presque Isle
Ghazaleh Sailors, So., University of Maine-Preque Isle
Tayler Fisher, Fr., College of New Rochelle

BELOIT, Wis. – The Mount Mary Cross Country team battled more than just a challenging course Saturday at the Wisconsin Private College Championship in Beloit—with a few runners out to illness and/or injury, head coach Eugene Miranda was anticipating only a handful of competitors.

"Our five runners truly displayed what team spirit is about," Miranda said. "Last week I was elated when we had all nine of our runners present at the Wisconsin Lutheran College meet where everyone put out a great effort to raise the standing of our team."

Yet with just five making the trip town Interstate 43, all five needed to participate for Mount Mary to qualify for an official team score.

"About an hour before the start of the race, both Laura (Bavlnka) and Lauren (Van Krey) announced they would run," Miranda said. "Knowing the condition that they were both in, I felt that their decision was based on not letting the team down. The two of them are to be commended for their gallant effort."

"To compound our problems, the incessant rain, the wet and puddle-filled course and slippery conditions did not make things any easier.

Saturday's miserable weather didn't make the course any easier for the runners as incessant rain made the wet course quite slick. Yet the Blue Angel harriers persevered and finished in 12th place out of 14 total teams.

Mount Mary was paced by junior Vanessa Schellinger (West Bend, Wis.) whose time of 26:46.23 came in 60th place overall. Bavlnka crossed the line less than two minutes later, cracking the top 100.

Team leader and junior Emily Barker (Oconomowoc, Wis.), who has been battling shin splint-like injuries for much of the season, did not race on Saturday.

The Blue Angels will have nearly a month to prepare for its post season race, the NCAA DIII Regional competition in Winneconne, Wis. on Nov. 11. The meet, hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, will feature several of the area's top teams vying for two spots in the NCAA Championship race.

Wisconsin Private College Championship
Oct. 13, 2012 – Noon
Leeson Park – Beloit, Wis.

TEAM RESULTS
1. Carthage – 71 (1, 3, 17, 23, 27)
2. Ripon – 79 (2, 7, 12, 26, 32)
3. Wisconsin Lutheran – 81 (4, 5, 6, 8, 58)
4. Concordia-Wisconsin – 108 (11, 13, 15, 28, 41)
5. Beloit – 120 (10, 16, 20, 31, 43)
6. St. Norbert – 150 (19, 24, 30, 37, 40)
7. Viterbo – 155 (14, 21, 34, 38, 48)
8. Edgewood – 191 (9, 18, 49, 53, 62)
9. Cardinal Stritch – 263 (25, 45, 61, 63, 69)
10. Northland – 279 (35, 36, 47, 77, 84)
11. Maranatha Baptist – 288 (22, 57, 67, 68, 74)
12. Mount Mary – 336 (50, 66, 70, 71, 79)
13. Silver Lake – 338 (42, 72, 73, 75, 76)
14. MSOE – INC.

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
1. Kummerer, K. (Carthage) – 22:52.57
2. Matter, M. (Ripon) – 23:02.27
3. Wirth, K. (Carthage) – 23:26.03
4. Erickson, M. (WLC) – 23:33.87
5. Favorite, J. (WLC) – 23:37.51
60. Schellinger, V. (MMC) – 26:46.23
95. Bavlnka, L. (MMC) – 28:26.55
106. Scherrer, D. (MMC) – 29:18.77
113. Van Krey, L. (MMC) – 31:09.41
123. Peterson, M. (MMC) – 34:03.41

Cross Country Finishes Eighth at Warrior Invite
Oct. 6, 2012

WEST ALLIS, Wis. – The Mount Mary College cross country squad made the short trip to Wisconsin Lutheran College's host course in Greenfield Park Saturday where the Blue Angels had a record day. Despite a chilly morning, the Blue Angels were blazing the trail on the 6-kilometer course, finishing in eighth place out of 14 total teams.

"What a difference a week makes!" head coach Eugene Miranda said. "Today's race is what I live for—a day when every runner put in her best effort and is pleased with her performance. The weeks of hard training are starting to pay some dividends. And almost everyone had a little left in the tank at the end of the race to do a final kick to the finish line."

Miranda witnessed quite a showing from his hard-working crew, as nearly every runner recorded a personal or season record in Greenfield Park Saturday. Junior Emily Barker, who has been battling leg injuries for much of the season, returned from training to turn in her best 6K performance of the season to lead the Blue Angels with a time of 24:53.0. Juniors Vanessa Schellinger (West Bend, Wis.) and Laura Bavlnka (Wauwatosa, Wis.), freshmen Danielle Scherrer (Milwaukee, Wis.) and Mollee Ostrenga (Escanaba, Mich.) and senior Lauren Van Krey (Horicon, Wis.) all turned in personal best performances as Blue Angels.

Of special note was the start and finish of freshman Michaela Peterson (Burlington, Wis.) who posted her first ever collegiate race finish.

"This was her first cross country race and unlike the others who started out the season with two 5K races, Michaela's introduction to cross country was in a 6K race," Miranda said. "She turned in an outstanding performance by keeping close to her target pace and finished the race splendidly."

Mount Mary will return to action this Saturday in Beloit, Wis., at the Wisconsin Private College Championship. The starting gun is set to fire at 12:30 p.m.

Warrior Invite
Oct. 6, 2012 – Noon
Greenfield Park – West Allis, Wis.

TEAM RESULTS
1. Trinity Christian – 42 (2, 7, 9, 11, 13)
2. Wisconsin Lutheran – 72 (1, 3, 6, 21, 41)
3. Judson – 73 (4, 5, 12, 23, 29)
4. Dubuque – 95 (8, 15, 22, 24, 26)
5. Elgin C.C. – 163 (10, 20, 28, 47, 58)
6. Cardinal Stritch – 196 (18, 33, 40, 48, 57)
7. Maranatha Baptist – 227 (19, 36, 51, 56, 65)
8. Mount Mary College – 232 (16, 38, 55, 61, 62)
9. Moraine Valley C.C. – 254 (45, 46, 50, 54, 59)
10. Silver Lake – 284 (35, 39, 69, 70, 71)
11. Wisconsin Lutheran Alumni – 306 (25, 42, 73, 80, 86)
12. Alverno – 337 (60, 64, 66, 72, 75)
13. Coll. Of Lake County – INC.
13. Trinity International – INC.

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
1. Erickson, Mary (WLC) – 23:07.0
2. Bos, Anna (TCC) – 23:09.4
3. Haegler, Marya (WLC) – 23:17.5
4. Miller, Sarah (JU) – 23:18.7
5. Gard, Meghan (JU) – 23:30.5
16. Barker, Emily (MMC) – 24:53.0
41. Schellinger, Vanessa (MMC) – 27:03.7
61. Bavlnka, Laura (MMC) – 28:25.4
68. Scherrer, Danielle (MMC) – 30:00.4
69. Van Krey, Lauren (MMC) – 30:02.0
75. Ostrenga, Mollee (MMC) – 30:59.7
76. Chapman, Shantae (MMC) – 31:00.4
89. Peterson, Michaela (MMC) – 33:42.4

FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. – The Mount Mary Cross Country team made the long trek to Minnesota's Twin Cities Saturday, taking part in the Gophers' Roy Griak Invitational. Despite some rather disappointing results, the Blue Angels witnessed some of the region's best cross country squads as over 160 collegiate men's and women's teams took to the Les Bolstad Golf Course just northeast of the University of Minnesota campus.

"We took our first overnight trip of the season," head coach Eugene Miranda said. "The course was quite challenging and most of our runners were pushed to the limit. It was quite an experience to run against 30 other teams and some of the best Division III teams in the country were there."

The meet is one of the Midwest's biggest cross country events of the fall season and featured six collegiate races divided by division, four high school races and a kids' run this year. Taking place on a golf course with great variance in elevation, Mount Mary battled the early morning start as well as the overall excitement surrounding the event. When the dust settled, the Blue Angels battled to finish in 28th place out of 30 teams in the Maroon III race, but Miranda was "not displeased at all as every one of them tried their best and did not give up."

Team leader Emily Barker (Oconomowoc, Wis.) turned in the best time on the team, despite a few pre-match struggles. Barker's time of 26:37.2 was good enough for 145th place, while junior Vanessa Schellinger (West Bend, Wis.) wasn't too far behind posting a time of 28:04.9 to take home 179th place.

Freshman Mollee Ostrenga (Escanaba, Mich.) returned to the squad for her first official race in Minnesota, finishing fifth in the team race and 195th overall.

The Blue Angel running crew will be back in action Saturday at noon for the Warrior Invitational, hosted by Wisconsin Lutheran College. The meet will take place just south of the Zoo Interchange in Greenfield Park in West Allis.

Roy Griak Invitational – Maroon III Race
Sept. 29, 2012
Les Bolstad Golf Course

1. UW-Eau Claire – 95
2. Wartburg (Iowa) – 108
3. St. Olaf (Minn.) – 116
4. Lewis & Clark College (Mich.) – 135
5. UW-La Crosse – 143
6. UW-Stevens Point – 200
7. St. Thomas (Minn.) – 213
8. St. Benedict (Minn.) – 249
9. Bridgewater (Va.) – 291
10. Nebraska Wesleyan – 325
11. UW-River Falls – 331
12. St. Scholastica (Minn.) – 332
13. UW-Whitewater – 359
14. Concordia-Moorhead (Minn.) – 385
15. Central (Iowa) – 408
16. Bethel (Minn.) – 436
17. Macalester (Minn.) – 478
18. UW-Platteville – 513
19. Ripon (Wis.) – 535
20. Benedictine (Ill.) – 563
21. Minn.-Morris – 566
22. Concordia-Wis. – 608
23. UW-Superior – 657
24. Lawrence (Wis.) – 660
25. Northwestern (Minn.) – 775
26. Northland (Wis.) – 840
27. Bethany Lutheran (Minn.) – 893
28. Mount Mary – 907
29. Finlandia (Mich.) – 922

1. Keller, Linda (Minn.-Morris) – 21:48.9
2. Mauer, Ashlyn (UWEC) – 22:03.2
3. Enabnit, Alana (Wartburg) – 22:05.4
4. Berg, Taylor (St. Thomas) – 22:12.8
5. Statz, Erin (St. Thomas) – 22:17.7
148. Barker, Emily (MMC) – 26:37.2
179. Schellinger, Vanessa (MMC) – 28:04.9
192. VanKrey, Lauren (MMC) – 31:52.2
193. Bavlnka, Laura (MMC) – 31.52.4
195. Ostrenga, Mollee (MMC) – 34:42.8
196. Sanders, Kala (MMC) – 34:45.9

MEQUON, Wis. – The Mount Mary College Cross Country squad earned its first Top 15 finish of the year at Concrodia University-Wisconsin's Falcon Invitational Saturday. With a team score of 415, the Blue Angels took 14th place out of 19 total colleges in the team's first 6-kilometer race of the season.

"I was impressed by the grit and determination shown by our runners," head coach Eugene Miranda said. "It takes quite a lot of practice to learn pacing for races. So even though some of our runners ran at too fast a pace for the first mile, they pressed on to complete the race fighting off the painful effects of lactic acid. I am confident that as the season progresses, more of our runners will master the art of running at a constant pace."

While the previous two races Mount Mary attended were both five kilometers in distance, the Falcon Invite is the first of many 6K races the Blue Angels will attack this year. With the increased distance comes increased need for discipline, as Miranda mentioned several runners started at too fast a pace.

Junior Emily Barker (Oconomowoc, Wis.) took top honors among the Blue Angels racers, as her 24:57 time also placed her in 24th overall. Junior Vanessa Schellinger (West Bend, Wis.) maintained the most regular pace, finishing with a time of 28:42 and an 81st place finish.

Mount Mary will have the next two weeks off as it prepares for arguably its biggest meet of the year, the Roy Griak Invitational on the campus of the University of Minnesota. The Blue Angels will travel and stay overnight in Minneapolis Friday in order to be up and ready for the 9 AM start time that Saturday.

Falcon Invitational
Sept. 15, 2012 – 11:30 am
Concordia University-Wisconsin – Mequon, Wis.

1. Carthage College - 51
2. Aurora University – 53
3. Carroll University – 127
4. Ripon College – 142
5. Concordia University-Wisconsin – 144
6. Concordia University-St. Paul – 230
7. Rockford College – 239
8. Concordia University-Chicago – 245
9. UW-Stevens Point – 257
10. Benedictine University – 279
11. Lake Forest College – 340
12. Cardinal Stritch University – 384
13. Moody Bible Institute – 403
14. Mount Mary College – 415
15. Maranatha Baptist Bible College – 424
16. North Park University – 459
t17. Silver Lake College – 494
t17. Dominican University – 494
19. Alverno College – 571

1. O'Grady, Megan (Carroll) – 22:50.5
2. Kummerer, Katie (Carthage) – 22:56.4
3. Houlis, C.J. (Aurora) – 23:12.5
4. Hussey, Sarah (Benedictine) – 23:26.2
5. Wirth, Karin (Carthage) – 23:28.7
24. Barker, Emily (MMC) – 24:57
81. Schellinger, Vanessa (MMC) – 28:43
98. Van Krey, Lauren (MMC) – 30:11
103. Bavlnka, Laura (MMC) – 30:41
109. Sherrer, Danielle (MMC) – 31:21
119. Sanders, Kala (MMC) – 35:00

SOMERS, Wis. – Mount Mary College head Cross Country coach Eugene Miranda received some discouraging news before Saturday's race at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside Midwest Open that a pair of key runners would not be making the trip to rural Racine.

Yet facing a very difficult course and a field ripe with Division I and Division II competition, Miranda was quickly impressed with the Blue Angels' 15th-place finish. Though only five Blue Angels made the trip—the minimum amount to qualify as a complete team—every one of them achieved personal record times at Saturday's Open.

"If you compare Saturday's results to last week's results, you may understand why my dejection turned to elation," Miranda said. "Every single one of our runners did much better than last week. To emphasize their improvement, I need to stress that today's course was more challenging than last week's.

"The huge improvement that was made in only a week is due to the dedication and determination of our runners."

Junior Emily Barker (Oconomowoc, Wis.) led the way again for Mount Mary, reaching a personal best time 20:09.5 for the 5K course. Senior Lauren VanKrey (Mayville, Wis.) took nearly a minute and a half off last week's time, while the other three runners took off between 34 and 65 seconds from last week's race at St. Norbert.

Mount Mary, with the return of Shantae Chapman and Laura Bavlnka, who missed Saturday's race, will look to continue improving personal times next Saturday in nearby Mequon, Wis. for the race hosted by Concordia Univeristy-Wisconsin.

UW-Parkside Midwest Open
Sept. 8, 2012 – 10 a.m.
Dannehl Cross Country Course – Somers, Wis.

TEAM RESULTS
1. Northern Michigan University - 47
2. UW-Parkside – 77
3. UW-Green Bay – 78
4. Bellarmie University (Ky.) – 93
5. Illinois Institute of Technology – 121
6. UW-Milwaukee – 156
7. Saint Joseph College (Ind.) – 204
8. UW-Oshkosh – 235
9. Michigan Tech – 273
10. Elmhurst College (Ill.) – 289
11. Lewis University (Ill.) – 291
12. Muskegon Community College (Mich.) – 341
13. MSOE – 418
14. Cardinal Stritch University – 434
15. Mount Mary College – 454
16. Maranatha Baptist Bible College – 478
17. Silver Lake College – 506
INC. Alverno College, Roosevelt University

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
1. A. Musk (BU) – 17:49.4
2. J. Watychowicz (UWP) – 17:57.7
3. S. Mauel (UWGB) – 18:24.7
4. A. Jahn (IIT) – 18:50.9
5. M. Dye (NMU) – 18:57.0
35. E. Barker (MMC) – 20:09.5
145. V. Schellenger (MMC) – 24:20.7
149. L. VanKrey (MMC) – 24:52.3
152. D. Scherrer (MMC) – 24:59.5
167. K. Sanders (MMC) – 28:32.6

GREEN BAY, Wis.- The Mount Mary College cross country team hit the trail running Saturday, finishing 10th out of 12 collegiate teams at the Tom Barry Invitational in Green Bay's Colburn Park. Not only was it the first race of the 2012 season, it was the first career race for many of this year's Blue Angels squad.

"Mount Mary started out on a very promising note as everyone on the team put out a very credible effort," head coach Eugene Miranda said.

Junior Emily Barker (Oconomowoc, Wis.) set the pace for the Blue Angels finishing 12th overall with a race time of 20:22. Barker set a very strong 6:34 pace per mile Saturday and has already stepped into a leadership role on an otherwise relatively inexperienced running crew.

Junior Shantae Chapman (Milwaukee, Wis.) finished 78th overall with a time of 23:15 in her first collegiate race. Also making their first ever Cross Country appearances were seniors Lauren VanKray (Mayville, Wis.) and Kala Sanders (Milwaukee, Wis.).

The event, hosted by St. Norbert College, was won by the Knights with a top-five finishers' score of 58. The College of St. Scholastica finished second with 79 points, while Ripon College came in third with 113 overall. Mount Mary's 296 total team points came in just a shade behind Cardinal Stritch University and a strong 60 points ahead of crosstown rival MSOE.

The Blue Angels will head down Highway 94 to the UW-Parkside Midwest Open in rural Racine, Wis. Saturday. Start time for the womens' competition is scheduled for 10 a.m.

Tom Barry Invitational
Sept. 1, 2012 – 10 a.m.
Colburn Park – Green Bay, Wis.

TEAM RESULTS
1. St. Norbert College - 58 (5, 6, 8, 17, 22)
-- St. Norbert College Alumni – 67 (4, 7, 11, 20, 25)
2. College of St. Scholastica – 79 (1, 14, 15, 21, 28)
3. Ripon College – 113 (3, 13, 27, 31, 39, 43)
4. Wisconsin Lutheran College – 124 (9, 10, 19, 23, 63)
5. Carroll University – 144 (2, 26, 34, 40, 42)
6. Lawrence University – 191 (18, 35, 41, 48, 49)
7. Beloit College – 215 (32, 36, 45, 50, 52)
8. Lake Forest College – 281 (16, 58, 65, 69, 73)
9. Cardinal Stritch University – 283 (38, 51, 53, 70, 71)
10. Mount Mary College – 296 (12, 59, 74, 75, 76)
11. MSOE – 352 (56, 62, 64, 81, 89)
12. Silver Lake College – 384 (61, 78, 80, 82, 83)

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
1. C. Johnson (CSS) – 18:39.4
2. M. O'Grady (CU) – 18:49.5
3. M. Matter (RC) – 19:13.2
4. J. Scherer (SNA) – 19:31.5
5. E. Martinez (SNC) – 19:40.6
12. E. Barker (MMC) – 20:22.2
78. S. Chapman (MMC) – 23:15.0
122. V. Schellinger (MMC) – 25:26.0
124. D. Scherrer (MMC) – 25:40.1
125. L. Bavlnka (MMC) – 25:47.3
128. L. VanKrey (MMC) – 26:14.3
143. K. Sanders (MMC) – 28:59.5

The Season Begins
August 21, 2012 -- The Blue Angels begin the 2012-13 season at St. Norbert College on September 1 at 11:00 a.m. Good luck Angels!