It Takes A World To Raise A Team
MOORHEAD, Minn. (10/27/16)--- The beautiful thing about sports is that they are universal events that can bring together cultures on opposite ends of the world.
It allows humanity to speak the same language. Keep score the same way.
The NBA (National Basketball Association) came out with a statistic on social media platforms that is indicative of the global sport – there are 113 athletes on 30 12-man rosters from 41 different countries that span the globe.
Teams are pieced together at both the collegiate and professional levels in many different forms and fashion and women's head cross country coach Marv Roeske has assembled his squad in a similar (or not so similar) way.
Isabelle Andriessen fulfills the International student checkbox. The freshman originates from across the pond – Mechelen, Netherlands.
The Dutch runner isn't the only one to have been born in another land.
Senior Nicky Crane was born in Africa. The business organizational leadership major had parents who served as missionaries when she was born.
Concordia women's cross country runners almost run coast-to-coast in the United States.
Freshman Jordan Oliphant hails from Spring Creek, Nevada while sophomore Tarja Nelsen resides in Andover, Massachusetts.
Oliphant's high school coach ran on the junior high team while Roeske was a varsity cross-country runner at Jamestown High – which was discovered after she came to Concordia.
Some things are just meant to be.
Roeske has three transfer student-athletes in his program.
Olivia Hamilton spent the first year of her career at St. Scholastica but the Moorhead native decided to come home last year to complete her education.
Erica Hauf was in the same boat as Hamilton. The former Spud transferred to Concordia this year after spending the past two years at Minnesota-Mankato.
Sara Whiteman is the third transfer student-athlete. The Brainerd product spent her first year in the MIAC at St. Benedict's but is now a Cobber.
The team has a family atmosphere as well - literally and figuratively.
Roseau implants Sarah Grafstrom and Kirsten Grafstrom are sisters who both run for the Cobbs. Sarah is a senior accounting and healthcare finance major while Kirsten is a first-year accounting major.
There are twins on the squad. Colleen Vought and Elizabeth Vought joined the team last year after not having run at Oak Grove in Fargo.
Not to mention Sarah Kuball who has a twin brother named Will who is also a Cobber. Star baseballer Phil Kuball '16 is the older brother of the two and father Kent Kuball '85 is a former baseball player who is in the Cobber Athletic Hall of Fame.
Sierra Kolle has an interesting story as well. Roeske and men's coach Garrick Larson were in attendance at the 2015 Homecoming Fun Run and Kolle, a former soccer player in high school, performed well in the event.
The coaches approached her following the race and she joined the team.
Senior Kaya Baker, who is one of the team's top runners, did not even come to the college for cross country.
She came here for hockey.
Maria West has a similar story except she came to participate on the basketball team.
This mix and match group is ready to compete in the MIAC Championships this weekend.
Concordia finished with eight of the top nine runners at the St. Bonfacius Invite two weekends ago, including the top three harriers, en route to winning the invitational.
This weekend at Como Park brings raised expectations for a squad that finished seventh out of 12 last season with 192 points.
Concordia has a pair of decorated runners back as Baker earned All-MIAC honors and Brianna Gruenberg was an Honorable Mention performer a season ago – not to mention junior Sarah Curran has also had a strong fall.
Born cross country runners or not – these harriers are ready to roll this weekend in St. Paul.
Written by Sports Information Intern Austin Hawkins