ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – The Drake University cross country teams faced tough competition and sustained heat while finishing third in both the men's and women's races at the annual Oz Memorial, hosted by the University of Minnesota.
The 6-kilometer event, named after former Drake track and field and cross country head coach Gary Osborne, was another early season event for the Bulldogs to evaluate their training.
“Overall the team looked pretty strong and it was good to get some race training,” head coach Dan Hostager said. “It was warm again, so it was a really a race of attrition. But it was good to finish and get everyone out of there in one piece.”
The men's team finished third in the five-team field thanks to another strong performance from Rob McCann (Mississauga, Ontario). The sophomore finished third with a 19:25.8 finish to give him a pair of top-3 finishes in two meets this season. The Bulldogs finished behind host Minnesota and South Dakota State.
“Rob had an outstanding race and moved up well to finish third,” Hostager said. “Reed Fischer also had a great race as a freshman.”
Fischer (Minnetonka, Minn.) was the fourth Bulldog to cross the finish line in 22nd at 20:22.08 following Ryan Flynn (Bettendorf, Iowa) in 14th (19:57.8) and Doug Brady (Englewood, Colo.) in 19th (20:13.3). Ali Jandal (La Crosse, Wis.) rounded out the scoring for Drake in 35th place with a time of 20:55.5.
The women's team's third-place showing also saw them finish just behind Minnesota, the top-ranked team in the region, and South Dakota State. For the second race in a row, Taylor Scholl (Prior Lake, Minn.) paced the Bulldogs with a 20th-place finish in 23:53.3 on the six-kilometer course.
“Taylor had a good race and overall our front group all had good efforts,” Hostager said. “The times aren't what we wanted. But the with the conditions and tough course, it was a good test to see where we're at and what we need to work on.”
That front group also included Emma Huston (Des Moines, Iowa) in 28th (24:27.8) with Krista Maguire (Wausau, Wis.) on her shoulder in 29th and just four-tenths of a second behind. Senior Erin Poss (Antioch, Ill.) was three spots behind in 32nd (24:28.9) with Melissa Parks (Norfolk, Neb.) rounding out the Bulldogs' scoring in 42nd place with a 24:55.8 finish.
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Oz Memorial
Les Bolstad Golf Course – Arden Hills, Minn.
Women's Race
6-kilometers
Women's Team Scores
1. Minnesota, 15
2. South Dakota State, 67
3. Drake, 74
4. North Dakota, 112
5. Minnesota State, 121
Drake Women's Results (81 Runners)
20. Taylor Scholl, 23:53.3
28. Emma Huston, 24:27.4
29. Krista Maguire, 24:27.8
32. Erin Poss, 24:28.9
42. Melissa Parks, 24:55.8
45. Cassie Aerts, 25:05.3
49. Amanda Marwitz, 25:24.4
50. Laura Gann, 25:29.9
58. Shana Kelly, 25:49.7
65. Celeste Arteaga, 26:03.1
67. Maria Kauder, 26:08.0
68. Allie Heifner, 26:08.2
73. Katie Filosa, 27:12.5
76. Kaley McLawhorm 27:46.9
77. Shelby Varney, 28:40.3
78. Juli Smith, 28:41.9
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Oz Memorial
Les Bolstad Golf Course – Arden Hills, Minn.
Men's Race
6-kilometers
Men's Team Scores
1. Minnesota, 23
2. South Dakota State, 50
3. Drake, 76
4. Minnesota State, 108
5. North Dakota, 110
Drake Men's Results (51 Runners)
3. Rob McCann, 19:25.8
14. Ryan Flynn, 19:57.8
19. Doug Brady, 20:13.3
22. Reed Fischer, 20:22.8
35. Ali Jandal, 20:55.5
36. Conor Wells, 20:55.9
37. Ian Harkreader, 20:56.7
40. Bobby Svoboda, 21:14.9
42. Calvin Quarterman, 21:15.3
45. James Saxton, 21:27.7
46. Ryan Ross, 21:42.8
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