On the morning of Sept. 20, the Men’s and Women’s Cross Country teams hosted the St. Olaf Invitational.
The women’s team started their season off strong by placing third behind University of Wisconsin (UW)-La Crosse in second place and Carleton College in first place. St. Olaf Women’s Cross Country’s total points added up to 84.
The men’s team placed in second place with 71 points total. Against 16 other teams, UW-La Crosse took first with a total of 32 points. Kevin Turlington ’26 was the second place finisher at 24:48 minutes overall, first to complete the race for the Oles. Jack Deaver ’26 was the second finisher for the Oles, placing eighth at 25:45.
In an interview with The Olaf Messenger, Deaver explained that the Invitational went well, especially for going against the top school in the nation for cross country. Something that has changed in the team compared to previous years is the strength and development of their mid-pack, which showed in the outcome of the Invitational.
Deaver explained that their nightly team dinners have an important impact on the unity of the team. The team aims to be at dinner the same time every night and prioritizes a no-phone rule when eating together. Deaver said that this rule helps conversations flow without any of the runners being distracted.
“A lot of the best conversations I’ve had at college are at dinner. It’s really great,” Deaver said about eating with the team for most of his four years.
Deaver continued by explaining how the Men’s Cross Country team creates a strong work-hard, play-hard balance between training and bonding together.
“[Team dinners] make us perform better. … I think when you’re, like, close with your teammates, then you want to race with them more. You want to be near them in a race and work off of each other, it works really well,” Deaver said.
Looking forward to continuing the season, both of the Men’s and Women’s Cross Country teams will be racing at the Blugold Invitational at UW-Eau Claire on Oct. 3. The next event will be Oct. 18 for the Haunted Hustle at the Hill.
