Catch them if you can! At the NCAA Division III Cross Country National Championships on November 23, both St. Olaf Men’s and Women’s Cross Country had top-20 finishes.
In the Men’s 8K, the Oles, ranked 10th before the meet, jumped two teams to finish 8th overall. With times of 24:32.9 and 24:34.3, respectively, Kevin Turlington ’26, who finished 23rd overall, and Andrew Skemp ’25, who finished 27th, earned All-American status. Rounding out the team’s top-five finishers were Ignatius Fitzgerald ’26, placing 68th overall with a time of 24:59.9, Gael Manzur Strandlund ’26, running a 25:08.5 and finishing 89th, and Sean Hartney ’25, finishing 127th with a time of 25:22.0. This is the men’s fourth consecutive top-20 finish in the NCAA Division III National Championships and their first top-10 finish since 2015, in which they finished fourth. Also adding their second consecutive MIAC Championship, it has been a year to remember for St. Olaf Men’s Cross Country.
In the Women’s 6K, the Oles finished 17th. Tied on points with cross-town rivals Carleton College, the defending National Champions, St. Olaf won the tiebreaker, earning them bragging rights in Northfield. Alison Bode ’25 finished 17th overall with a time of 21:43.2, earning her All-American status. Lauren Walda ’26 finished 71st with a time of 22:09.1, Sophie Abernethy ’25 ran a 22:45.5 to finish 168th, and Grace Moeller ’26 and Isabel Wyatt ’26 finished side-by-side in 193rd and 194th, with times of 22:57.4 and 22:57.6. Along with their fourth consecutive top-20 finish at the National Championship, women’s cross-country won their first MIAC Championship since 2021.
2024 is the first year in school history that both men’s and women’s cross-country won the MIAC Championships, marking another incredible year for both programs.
