A Flurry Of Freshmen
GLYNDON, Minn. (9/13/13)— Matthew Lillehaugen led a group of four freshman to pace Concordia to a fourth-place finish at the MSU Moorhead Invite on Friday. Lillehaugen ran a 26:46 over the 8k course and recorded his second straight top 20 finish.
Lillehaugen's 18th-place finish follows his third-place finish in the team's opening meet of the season at Valley City.
Lillehaugen was followed by fellow freshman Carl Wahlin who finished in a time of 27:44 and was in 32nd place in the overall standings. He was also coming off a top 10 finish in his first collegiate meet at Valley City.
The only non-first year time was turned in by junior Henry Dobbs who crossed the finish line in a time of 28:26 and made the top 40 in 40th place. Dobbs was followed by two more freshmen who gave the Cobbers four newcomers in the top 5 of the team. Cody Bekkerus came home in 29:23 and finished 43rd while Phillip Manley ran a 29:38 and was 46th. Bekkerus just recently joined the team and was competing in his first collegiate race after only one week of training.
Sophomore Taylor Lauermann rounded out the top 6 of the Cobbers. He was right behind Manley in 48th place with a finishing time of 29:45.
Concordia will have another two-week break to train and get ready for the prestigious Roy Griak Invite hosted by the University of Minnesota on Saturday, Sept. 28 at Les Bolstad GC.
Final Team Results
1. MSU-Moorhead - 25
2. University of Mary - 47
3. Valley City State - 92
4. Concordia - 114
5. Jamestown - 160