DECORAH, Iowa -- The Wartburg College Knights men’s and women’s teams sweep the American Rivers Conference Cross Country Championships. Both teams won comfortably with an individual win by Joe Freiburger in the men’s race and a second-place finish by Aubrie Fisher. The team titles were the third in a row for the women and fourth-straight for the men. After two silvers and a third at the conference championships, Loras' Kassie Parker took the title in this year's women's race.
With all five runners in the top 10, Wartburg’s team score on the men’s side was 20 points. Loras totaled 58 points to finish in second place while Simpson finished in third with 80 points. The Wartburg women were equally dominant with a team score of 20. That easily outdistanced second-place Loras (62) and third-place Central (77).
Freiburger set a new course record, running 8,000-meters in a time of 25:04.3, for his third-straight individual win at the conference championship. He outlasted teammate Christopher Collet’s second-place time of 25:10.9. Morgan Shirley-Fairbairn finished in fourth with a time of 25:13.7. Close-behind him was Sam Pinkowski with a time of 25:26.1. Alec Ille (25:36.3) closed out the top-five scorers for the Knights
Parker of Loras covered the 6,000-meter women's course in 20 minutes, 43.0 seconds. She pulled away from Fisher, who crossed in second place in a time of 22:09.5. Fisher’s teammates weren’t far behind. Riley Mayer was third in a time of 22:19.0. Carina Collet took fourth place (22:29.6), Shaelyn Hostager was fifth (22:40.4), and Trinity Borland was sixth (22:48.1) to close out the top-five scorers for the Knights.
Head coach Ryan Chapman and assistant Phil Spitzer were voted Coaching Staff of the Year for the women and men. The women’s award was Chapman’s third, while the men’s honor is his fourth in a row.
Finishing in the Top 15 resulted in all-conference honors. Loras’ Ryan Harvey took home third place honors, while teammates Luke Guttormson and Julian Watson finished ninth and 12th, respectively. Simpson’s Spencer Moon finished sixth while teammates Harry Dudley (seventh) and Louden Foster (14th) earned medals. Ian Kelly of Luther finished in tenth and Caleb Silver of Central finished in 13th. Wartburg’s Matt Heinzman and Connor Lancial round out the all-conference performers.
All-conference honors in the women’s race went to Wartburg’s Natalie Paulson was seventh while teammates Lexi Brown (ninth), Moriah Morter (10th), Ellie Meyer (11th), and Anna Hertz (14th) earned medals. Central’s Caroline McMartin was 8th and teammate Megan Johnson finished 13th. Gabby Thomas of Nebraska Wesleyan finished 12th to earn all-conference honors. Ellie Osterberger of Loras rounded out all-conference with a 15th place finish.
The 2021 NCAA Division III Cross Country Midwest Regional will be held at Augustana College in Rock Island, Ill. at the Saukie Golf Course November 13, 2021. The NCAA Division III Cross Country Championship will be held at E.P. “Tom” Sawyer State Park in Louisville, Kentucky on November 20.
