SDSU men win third consecutive Summit League Cross Country Championship title; women take third

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OMAHA, Neb. – The South Dakota State men won their third consecutive Summit League Cross Country Championship title in record fashion Saturday morning at Miracle Hill.

The Jackrabbits finished with 23 team points – the program’s lowest total ever in the meet – to win by 37 points, which is also a school record and five off the all-time league mark.

North Dakota State was second at 60, followed by South Dakota (83) in third.

SDSU had program-best five first-team All-Summit League performers and a trio of second-team honorees. The eight total All-Summit league members is also the most in school history.

Coyote senior Eldon Warner was medalist in the 8K with a time of 24 minutes, 58.59 seconds.

The Jackrabbits occupied seven of the next eight spots.

Defending champion Chase Cayo, a junior, was runner-up with a 25:12.15 clocking. Senior Kyle Burdick placed third in 25:17.9.

The Bison’s Elliott Stone (25:22.64) took fourth.

SDSU sophomore Micah Mather (25:25.02) placed fifth, junior Lukas Nelson (25:26.07) sixth and sophomore Gabe Peters (25:36.07) seventh to complete the team score.

Cayo, Burdick, Mather, Nelson and Peters were first-team performers.

Joseph Minor-Williams (25:38.55) placed eighth and edged teammate and fellow-freshman Thomas Breuckman (ninth, 25:39.16) to earn Newcomer of the Championship. They were joined on the All-Summit League second team by redshirt-freshman Michael Schwinghamer (14th, 26:13.82).

Sophomore Evan Fick (26:28.09) finished 17th.

In addition to the three-peat – 2016-18 – South Dakota State added titles in 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2013. The Jackrabbits were second in 2014 and 2015.

Women

South Dakota (51) edged North Dakota State (52) to win the team title for the fifth year in a row, while South Dakota State took third with 61 points.

Purdue Fort Wayne senior Emma Rafuse won the 6K in 20:32.92. The Bison’s Kelby Anderson placed second with a 20:41.46 clocking.

Jackrabbit senior Rachel King, last year’s champ, crossed in third in 21:04.55.

The Coyotes’ Megan Billington (21:08.45) and the Bison’s Annika Rotvold (21:24.3) rounded out the top five.

SDSU junior Emily Donnay took sixth in 21:26.59 as she and King both earned first-team All-Summit League recognition.

Sophomore Anna Donnay (22:00.85) finished 15th, freshman Ellie Friesen (22:12.25) 18th and senior Mackenzie Schell (22:15.46) 19th to complete the team tally.

Friesen was Newcomer of the Championship.

Also for the Jackrabbits, junior Kendra Dykstra (22:31.73) took 22nd, junior Jamie Schweiss (22:42.61) 25th, junior Anna Fasen (23:20.86) 37th and senior Emily Berzonsky (23:23.28) 38th.

The NCAA Midwest Regional Championships are Nov. 9 in Peoria, Ill.