Improvement Trend Continues At MIAC Meet
ST. PAUL, Minn. (10/27/12)—Concordia had their top four runners post career-best times and recorded their first top-half finish at the MIAC Championship Meet since the 2002 season. Hannah Knickerbocker placed in the top 20 and led the Cobber charge to a sixth-place team finish.
The sixth-place finish continues the steady improvement trend for Concordia. The Cobbers finished in ninth-place in 2009, that was followed by an eight-place finish in 2010 and last year CC placed seventh. The sixth-place finish also ties for the best finish at a conference meet since the team placed second in 2000.
Knickerbocker continued her season-long trend of leading the Cobber harriers. Knickerbocker ran a 23:18.2 and finished in 18th place. She was six-seconds away from a top 15 finish. Her time is almost 40-seconds faster than last year at the meet.
Morgan Christian and Kathryn Stalnaker both posted their first top 30 finishes at a conference meet. Christian crossed the line in 27th-place with a time of 23:34.4 and Stalnaker was close behind at 23:41.6 and placed 30th. Neither Christian nor Stalnaker were in the top 7 of the Cobbers at last year's conference meet.
Paige Rygg and Elisabeth Hanson were the final two Concordia athletes to count in the team score. Rygg ran a 24:04.4 and was 45th while Hanson came home in 24:25.5 and just missed out on the top 50 by placing 57th. Rygg's time was 25-seconds faster than 2011 and Hanson bettered her last year's mark by 29 seconds.
Concordia will now prepare for the NCAA Central Region Meet. The Cobbers will compete for spots at the national meet on Saturday, Nov. 10 at St. Olaf College.