NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) will crown its 2024 men's cross country champion on Saturday.
The 11-team men's eight-kilometer conference championship race is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. at the St. Olaf College Cross Country Course in Northfield. The 2024 MIAC Cross Country Championships will be the fifth conference championship meet hosted by the Oles since 1991. St. Olaf last hosted the MIAC Cross Country Championships in 2021. The men’s championships will follow the 12-team MIAC women's 6K race, set to begin an hour earlier at 11 a.m. on Saturday.
CHAMPIONSHIP 101
St. Olaf won its 11th MIAC title in program history last fall. Eight different schools have won MIAC men's cross country championships since 1947. St. Thomas holds the MIAC record for the most team championships at 24. St. Olaf won five consecutive MIAC men's titles from 2012-16, and Carleton claimed four in a row from 2017-21. Hamline is the last non-Northfield program to have won the MIAC championship, as the Pipers took three straight from 2009-11.
St. Thomas holds the record for the most individual champions at 17, though Macalester and St. Olaf are not far behind with 14 apiece, and Saint John's has tallied 13 race winners. Mohammed Bati (Dodola, Ethiopia | GAP School) became Augsburg's first-ever MIAC men's individual champion in 2022. Bati won the individual title again last fall and will look to become the first three-time winner since St. Olaf's Grant Wintheiser claimed three in a row from 2012-14.
HANDING OUT THE HARDWARE
Once the results of the 2024 MIAC Cross Country Championship are tabulated and deemed final, a short awards ceremony for both women's and men's races will follow around 1:00 p.m. The top 15 runners in each race will be honored with All-Conference distinction, while runners finishing in places 16-to-25 will be named Honorable Mention. The championship team will also be honored with the presentation of the MIAC Championship plaque.
Individual awards for Athlete, Rookie, and Coach of the Year will be announced on Thursday, November 7.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Those traveling to St. Olaf should be advised that parking is limited and will be on a first-come, first-served basis. The West Lot, Main Lot, and Rand Lot are recommended; however, spectators are welcome to park in any campus lot up the hill and walk down to the course.
Bicycles and non-service animals are strictly prohibited at the course. Please leave bikes and pets at home.
Fans who are not traveling to Northfield will have access to unofficial results soon after the action concludes courtesy of Fast Finish Results.
The MIAC has a championship home page for the event that will serve as the online home of the meet. The championship page will include results and recaps as they become available.
| Championship Home Page | Top Times | Course Map | Parking | Unofficial Meet Results |
ALL-CONFERENCE RETURNERS
Ten of the top 15 runners from last year's conference championship race have been back in action this season, including Augsburg junior Mohammed Bati (1st), St. Scholastica graduate student Calvin Boone (4th), Carleton junior Gabe Nichols (5th), St. Olaf junior Kevin Turlington (6th), St. Olaf senior Andrew Skemp (7th), St. Olaf senior Anders Cote (10th), St. Olaf senior Sean Hartney (11th), Carleton junior Roy Llewellyn (12th), Carleton junior Indy Lyness (13th), and Macalester senior Reece McKee (14th).
AROUND THE MIAC
Augsburg junior Mohammed Bati (Dodola, Ethiopia | GAP School) set a new program mark in winning the UW-La Crosse Jim Drews Invitational on 10/19. Winning the 279-runner Jim Drews Invitational for the second straight year, Bati finished the 8K race in 24:06.0, breaking his previous program record of 24:13.40, set in the Auggies' last race two weeks ago at the Running of the Cows. Marking his 11th win in his 17th collegiate race, Bati won the UW-La Crosse race by 53.9 seconds over the second-place competitor.
Bethel first-year Hootie Hage (Prior Lake, Minn.) paced the Royals with a 29th-place finish at the Jim Drews Invitational on 10/19. Hage crossed the finish line in a time of 26:06.6.
Carleton junior Gabe Nichols (Grove City, Penn.) finished fifth overall with a time of 25:20.9 at the Lewis & Clark Invitational on 10/19. It was his first race since 8/30 due to injury.
Concordia sophomore Brady Goss (Devils Lake N.D.) led the Cobbers for the fourth consecutive meet with a personal best time of 26:15 at the Jim Drews Invitational on 10/19. Goss placed 35th out of 279 total runners, ending his regular season by posting 35 finishes in all four meets this fall.
Gustavus senior Tyler Smith (Norwood Young America, Minn. | Central) led the Gusties with a 22nd-place finish at the Jim Drews Invitational on 10/19. The meet featured 20 teams and nearly 300 competitors.
Hamline junior Lucas LiaBraaten (Ramsey, Minn. | Anoka) placed 19th at the Augustana Interregional Invite on 10/19. LiaBraaten covered the 8K race in 26:12.4.
Macalester senior Reece McKee (Charlottesville, Va.) led the Scots at Augustana’s Interregional Invite on 10/19 with an 8K time of 25:31.3. McKee’s time was good for 68th place out of 436 runners.
Saint John's sophomore Vincent Kaluza (Cold Spring, Minn. | Rocori) led the Johnnies in 55th place out of 436 runners at Augustana’s Interregional Invite on 10/19. Kaluza covered the 8K course in 25:23.0.
Saint Mary's sophomore Isaiah Fitzgerald (Rochester, Minn. | Stewartville) was the first Cardinal to cross the finish line at the Augustana Interregional Invite on 10/19. Fitzgerald ran the 8K race in 26:59.0.
St. Olaf junior Kevin Turlington (Rochester, Minn. | Lourdes) ran a career-best 8K time of 24:21.9 to finish seventh and lead nationally-ranked Oles to a runner-up finish at the Connecticut College Invite on 10/19 in a field that included seven nationally-ranked teams. The junior's time moved him up one spot to eighth on St. Olaf's all-time 8K performance list and was a PR by over 20 seconds.
St. Scholastica graduate student Calvin Boone (St. Paul, Minn. | Highland Park) was the Saints’ top finisher at the Running of the Cows on 10/5. Boone finished the 8K race in 25:39.6 to place 14th overall.