Leaning Forward For The Team Title

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. (2/15/20)---If it was an individual race, Concordia would have leaned forward and inched out St. Benedict at the tape. The Cobbers beat the Blazers by .50 of a point to claim the team championship at the St. Benedict Invitational held at St. John's. It is the closest margin of victory in school history for the Cobbers.

The meet featured six different schools – three of which were Division II or NAIA squads. Concordia used its depth to come away with 140.0 team points which beat the 139.50 points posted by St. Benedict in a photo finish for the team championship.

The Cobbers only recorded three individual event wins but had numerous Top 5 finishes to earn the team victory.

All three of Concordia's event wins came on the track side of the meet. Junior Josie Herrmann once again proved why she is one of the top middle distance runners in the region. She proved the biggest highlight of the afternoon by breaking the school record in the 1000 meters.

Herrmann entered the meet with a season-best time of 3:02.75 in the event but then used teammate Miriah Forness to pace her for the first half of the race and then provided a finishing kick on her own to cross the line in a time of 3:00.19. That mark breaks the 14-year-old record of Heather Schuster which she set in 2006 with a time of 3:01.85. Herrmann's time is the third fastest in the MIAC this year. She still owns the top time in the MIAC in the 600 meters.

Forness finished second on the race with a time of 3:12.38 which puts her in the Top 20 of the conference this year.

Senior Zahra Banks had the other Top 5 school mark at the meet as she won the 60-meter dash with a finals time of 8.10. She clocked an 8.13 in the prelims and then dropped that time by .03 of a second to win the finals over freshman teammate Carlie Heinecke who was a mere .01 of a second behind Banks in the finals. Banks' finishing time is the fifth fastest in school history and Heinecke is now No.6 on the list.

Banks and Heinecke are now in the Top 5 of the MIAC for fastest times this year. Banks' time is No.4 on the list and Heinecke is fifth.  

The other event win for Concordia was put up by senior Kara Andersen. She ran a 10:45.63 in the 3000 meters and won the event by over 30 seconds.                

Carly Fornshell, Meritt Miller, Rachel Friberg, Isabel Fredrickson and Lauren Forness had the other Top 5 track finishes for the Cobbers. Fornshell and Miller both recorded second-place finishes. Fornshell ran a season-best time of 1:41.52 and was second in the 600 meters while Miller was runner-up in the mile with a time 5:37.68. Fornshell's time is also the seventh fastest in the MIAC this season.

Sophomore Cayle Hovland had the top finish in the field events. She placed second in the shot put and was also third in the weight throw. Hovland posted a distance of 40-06.75 in the shot put and was beat out by a Division II athlete and had a mark of 48-08.75 neither mark is a season best for Hovland who is in the Top 4 in the MIAC in both events.

Fellow sophomore thrower Allyson Kangas was right behind Hovland in each event and posted a season-best mark in the shot put. Kangas was third in the shot put at 40-01.25 and was fourth in the weight throw with a distance of 47-07.00. She is now in the Top 10 in the MIAC in both events.

Freshman Sarah Faber came up with the other Top 5 finish for the CC field athletes. She 4-09.00 and was fourth in the high jump.      

UP NEXT: Concordia will stay close to home for their final competition before the MIAC Indoor Championship Meet. The Cobbers return to Grand Forks to take part in the UND Indoor Tune-Up Meet on Saturday, Feb. 15.