Wrong Way Cobbers Finish Second
Concordia had several runners take wrong turns at the Crown Invite.
ST. BONIFACIUS, Minn. (10/17/15)—Concordia had several runners take wrong turns at the Crown Invite but still managed to post a second-place finish in the final competition before the MIAC Championship Meet.
The Cobbers had their top runner miss a pair of turns while a pack of three runners went straight instead of taking a sharp turn, veered off course and had to back track to resume the race.
Concordia persevered through the mishaps and their top 4 athletes finish in the top 15 to claim second place with a team total of 60.
The Cobbers were without No.1 runner Kaya Baker who was nursing a lower leg injury and chose to stay home to prepare for the conference meet in two weeks. Freshman Brianna Gruenberg seized the opportunity to race to the No.1 spot. Gruenberg was leading the entire race through the first 4000 meters before she missed a pair of turns which cost her the chance to finish in the top 5 of the meet.
Gruenberg wound up posting a finishing time of 24:08 which was good for sixth place. It marked the first time that she has been the team's No.1 runner and her second top 10 finish of the season.
Teammates Sarah Curran, Melissa Uhrich and Sarah Kuball were in the chase pack behind Gruenberg and the other top 6 runners in the meet. The entire group of runners ran off the course at the 1.5-mile mark after a downhill stretch. The course made a sharp turn but the runners kept going straight and then had to back track to return to the race. The mishap cost the group at least 20 seconds.
Curran wound up just one second outside the top 10 and she ran a 24:49 and placed 11th. Uhrich was close behind in 14th place with a time of 25:05. Kuball crossed the line five seconds after Uhrich and finished 15th at 25:10.
Senior Ingrid Floersheim was the team's No.5 runner. She posted her first top 20 finish of the season. She completed the course in 25:20 and was the No.17 runner in an 80-athlete race.
WHAT'S NEXT: Concordia will now have two weeks to study their course maps and train for the upcoming MIAC Championship Meet which will be held on Saturday, Oct. 31.