Stepping Into Titles At St. Boni Invite
ST. BONIFACIUS, Minn. (10/18/14)—Concordia shook off a slew of injuries and came away with the team and individual titles at the St. Boni Invite hosted by Crown College. The meet is the last team competition before the MIAC Championship Meet.
Sophomore Carl Wahlin won the individual title by a full minute and the Cobbers captured their first multi-team meet championship since the 2008 season when they also won the St. Boni Invite. Concordia won the Valley City Invite to start the 2014 season but that was a two-team meet.
Concordia placed three runners in the top 4 of the meet and had all five scoring athletes finish in the top 15. The Cobbers finished with a team total of 35 which was a nine better than St. Scholastica who placed second with 46.
The Cobbers were competing without there No.2 runner throughout the season, Ryan Sederquist, who sat out the meet due to an injury. Freshman Erik Larson, the team's No.3 runner was also rested due to an injury.
Wahlin was content to stay in a pack of five runners through the first two miles of the meet but then slowly and methodically began to build his lead throughout the remainder of the race. He finished the 8k course in a time of 26:05.5. That time was 1:29.7 faster than the runner-up in the meet. The win is Wahlin's second of the year and his fourth top 5 finish of the year.
Freshman Brendan Johnson, who has been improving throughout his first collegiate season, ran right behind the No.1 runner for St. Scholastica's and stayed even for almost the entire course. Unfortunately for Johnson he lost out on the stretch drive but wound up in third place in a time of 27:38.9.
Senior Aaron Larkin ran a season-best 28:17.3 and rounded out the trio of top 4 runners for the Cobbers. His time 24.6-seconds faster than his previous season best which came at the MSU Moorhead Invite.
Henry Dobbs and Will Corbett finished off the top 5 for Concordia. Dobbs, who has been battling though an arm injury the entire season ran his fastest time of the year and came home in 12th place. It is the first time all season he has posted a sub-30 minute time over an 8k course. His prior best time was 30:27.9. His 12th-place finish is also a season best.
Corbett was less than 30 seconds behind Dobbs. He clocked a 29:34.1 to give Concordia five runners under the 30-minute mark. Corbett placed 15th at the meet.
The Cobbers will now have a two-week break to train for the MIAC Championship Meet on Saturday, Nov. 1 at Como Park Golf Course in St. Paul.
Concordia Individual Results
1. Carl Wahlin - 26:05.540
3. Brendan Johnson - 27:38.943
4. Aaron Larkin - 28:17.383
12. Henry Dobbs -29:06.273
15. Will Corbett - 29:34.193
17. Ryan Turner - 30:01.193
21. Peter Simon - 30:24.280