BLOOMINGTON, Minn. - The 2024 cross country season continues this weekend for Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) teams, with a trio of Midwest meets on the schedule.

IN THE POLLS
St. Olaf is ranked No. 14 in the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Top 35 Poll, released on October 2.

The Oles are also ranked third in the North Region, while Macalester came in at No. 8 this week.
  
The next USTFCCCA rankings are due to be released on October 7.

AROUND THE MIAC
Augsburg junior Mohammed Bati (Dodola, Ethiopia | GAP School) paced the 305-runner field with the individual title in the men's 8K at the St. Olaf Invitational on 9/21, clocking a time of 24:42.30 to win the race by more than 30 seconds. His time set a new meet record at the St. Olaf Invite, breaking the previous record of 24:47.30 set by St. Olaf's Will Kelly in 2023. The junior has now competed in 15 races in his collegiate career, claiming the individual crown in nine of them.
 
Bethel senior Grant Graber (Sioux Falls, S.D. | Lincoln) crossed the finish line in 26:27.9 to earn the Royals 21 team points at the St. Olaf Invitational on 9/21. Graber ran the first 3K in a time of 10:10.1 before hitting a 7:04.7 split to get him to the 5K mark.
 
Carleton junior Roy Llewellyn (Downers Grove, Ill. | North) ran the fastest 5K time in the MIAC on opening weekend, crossing the finish line in 15:14.0 at the Montana State Bobcat Twilight on 8/30. Llewellyn finished 11th overall and first among NCAA Division III participants. The Knights placed fifth as a team.
 
Concordia sophomore Brady Goss (Devils Lake, N.D.) led the Cobbers at the Dragon Twilight on 9/13 with a time of 18:40.0. His finishing mark was 35 seconds faster than the next Concordia finisher and pushed him into the top 20 individual finishers.
 
Gustavus senior Tyler Smith (Norwood Young America, Minn. | Central) won the Coach Finanger Invitational on 9/6. Smith led the race from start to finish with a time of 16:13.4 in the 5k. The field included 76 runners.
 
Hamline junior Lucas LiaBraaten (Ramsey, Minn. | Anoka) led the Pipers with a seventh-place finish at the Finanger Invitational on 9/6. LiaBraaten crossed the finish line at 16:41.3.
 
Macalester senior Reece McKee (Charlottesville, Va.) finished first among 119 runners at the Luther All-American with a time of 20:23.0 on 9/14 in Decorah, Iowa. McKee helped the Scots place first in the team standings with 39 points, ahead of multiple regionally-ranked teams.
 
Saint John's senior Eamon Cavanaugh (Oak Park, Ill. | Oak Park and River Forest) led the Johnnies with a third-place finish out of 99 runners with a 5K time of 15:34 at the Toni St. Pierre Invitational on 9/6. His time was the fastest in the MIAC last week and helped Saint Joh's place second at the meet.
 
Saint Mary's sophomore Isaiah Fitzgerald (Rochester, Minn. | Stewartville) tallied a personal best 8K time at the St. Olaf Invitational on 9/21, leading the Cardinals at 27:22:10.
 
St. Olaf junior Kevin Turlington (Rochester, Minn. | Lourdes) finished as the individual runner-up to lead the Oles to the team title at the St. Olaf Invitational on 9/21. Turlington completed the 8K course in 25:14.7 to help the Oles win the title by 14 points.
 
St. Scholastica graduate Calvin Boone (St. Paul, Minn. | Highland Park) led the Saints with a 13th-place finish at the Roy Griak Invitational on 9/20. Boone crossed the finish line in 26:32.5 in what was his first race of the season.

UP NEXT
Friday, October 4
Jimmie Invitational | Jamestown, N.D.
Blugold Invitational | Colfax, Wis.
 
Saturday, October 5
The Running of the Cows | Northfield, Minn.

LEAGUE LEADERS