ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict cross country team is set compete at the 2024 MIAC Championships at 11 p.m., on Saturday, Nov. 2 in Northfield, Minn., at the St. Olaf Cross Country Course.

This will be the fifth conference championship meet hosted by the Oles since 1991. St. Olaf last hosted the MIAC Cross Country Championships in 2021. To follow along, click here for live scoring.  

Bennies look to build on solid season
CSB, which is directed by veteran head coach Robin Balder-Lanoue, has had a productive fall season including winning the Bob Waxlax Invitational and placing second at the CSB Toni St. Pierre Invite. Individually, Saint Benedict graduate student Lucy Lyngen set a PR and the 29th best clocking in program history with a 6K time of 23:27.5 at the Augustana Interregional Invite on 10/19. The result came 10 days after Lyngen set the program 4K record of 14:45.7 at the Bob Waxlax Invitational on 10/9.

After competing at the MIAC, the Bennies will host the CSB Fall Finale on Saturday, Nov. 9, which is one week before the NCAA DIII North Regionals in Northfield, Minn., on Nov. 16.

Led by Smith's third straight title, CSB places third at MIAC in 2023
 
A year ago at the MIAC Championship, CSB, led by three-time- champion Fiona Smith, finished third in back-to-back years with the same total of 88 points. Four times in school history (1983, 1984, 1992, and 1994), the Bennies have finished second at the MIAC Championships. Eight times, CSB has also placed third or better (2022, 2013, 2002, 1997, 1994, 1992, 1984, 1983) in the team standings.

Carleton is the two-time defending MIAC team champion, having earned the program's 13th conference title in 2023. The Knights are also the defending NCAA Division III champions. Since 1981, five different schools have won MIAC women's cross country championships. St. Thomas holds the MIAC record with 17 total team titles, including the first nine from 1981-89. Carleton ranks second all-time with 13 team championships, followed by St. Olaf with 10. St. Thomas has had the most individual champions with 10, while Carleton and St. Olaf have the next most with six, and Bethel, Macalester, and Saint Benedict have each had five race winners. The MIAC is guaranteed to have a new individual champion this season - Saint Benedict's Fiona Smith won the previous three conference titles and finished last year's in a record 21:11.0 before going on to win the 2023 NCAA Division III national title weeks later.

CSB places three in the program's top 50 at the Augustana Interregional Invite
In a highly competitive field, the College of Saint Benedict cross country team had three program top 50 individual times and a number of personal bests in another impressive outing at the Augustana Interregional Invite at the Saukie Golf Club. CSB, which placed 25^th with 650 team points, raced against in- and out-of-region competition. CSB competed against 23 regionally ranked teams and 35 total, including seven in the national ranks. No. 2 Colorado College won the team race with 56 points, led by individual medalist Isabel Olson (21:07.1). No. 14 Washington U finished second with 106 points followed by No. 3 U of Chicago at 138; Wisconsin-Stout, fourth, 175; and No. 10 Calvin, fifth, 185. Individually, the Bennies were led by senior Lucy Lyngen, who clocked 23:25.7 across 6,000-meters in a field of 301 runners for 118^th and the 29^th best time in program history. First-year Eileen O'Connor continued to shine for CSB by clocking 23:27.9 for 31^st all-time at CSB (tied with Nancy Buselmeier) and finished 121^st. Senior Kalli Smith had a personal best at 6K with a 23:42.5 clocking, a mark that was 141^st overall and ranks 43^rd all-time in program history.

Lyngen sets school record across 4K at Waxlax Invite
CSB's cross country team captured the SCSU Bob Waxlax Invitational on Oct. 9, led by a record-breaking 4K performance led by senior Lucy Lyngen, who finished second. CSB scored 26 points, placing five runners in the top 10, while St. Cloud State came in second with 48 points and Bemidji State took third with 53 points. Lyngen set a new school record in the 4,000-meter event, finishing in 14:45.70 and surpassing the previous record held by Manon Gammon-Deering, who clocked 14:54. Three CSB athletes achieved personal bests as well: first-year Eileen O'Connor took third place with a time of 14:47.10, while senior Kalli Smith finished fifth at 14:53.80. O'Connor, and Smith also cracked the previously top mark and now sit top five all-time at the distance in school history.  Junior Mary Kenney also marked her place in the top five all-time for CSB, completing the race in 14:54.70.
 
CSB take eighth at St. Olaf Invite
Junior Mary Kenney led the College of Saint Benedict cross country team with a 33rd-place finish at the St. Olaf Invite on Saturday. The Bennies secured eighth place out of 19 teams, accumulating 232 points. Kenney completed the 6K course in 24:26.40. First-year Eileen O'Connor followed in 51st place with a time of 24:51.21, while senior Lucy Lyngen took 54th at 24:54.20. First-year Mollie Ping was close behind, finishing 56th in 24:58.90. Sophomore Abby Bufkin clocked in at 25:15.90, and Eva Creighton rounded out the Bennies' top six with a time of 26:01.60. Carleton won the team competition with 35 points, placing three runners in the top four. Hannah Preisser took the individual title with a time of 21:57.80, followed by teammate Sophie McManus in second at 22:05.70. Host St. Olaf finished second with 54 points, while UW-Eau Claire took third with 123. Wisconsin Stout was fourth with 157 and Gustavus Adolphus, fifth at 167. Just ahead of CSB was Bethel in sixth at 203 and St. Norbert, seventh, 221 points. 

Kenney and Lyngen lead CSB to eighth at Blugold Invite
Led by junior Mary Kenney and senior Lucy Lyngen, the College of Saint Benedict cross country team placed eighth at the Blugold Invite which was held on Friday (Oct. 4) at the Whitetail Golf Course and hosted by UW-Eau Claire. In a field of 13 teams and 193 competitors, CSB finished with 201 points to finish eighth. UW-Eau Claire captured the team title with 58 points with No. 14 UW-LaCrosse, second with 82 and Lawrence and UW-Stout, tied for third with 96. Lila Branchow of Minnesota led the field with a clocking of 22:01.08 followed by Cristyn Oliver of Lawrence finishing in 22:18.4 and Keeley Behr of UW-Eau Claire at 22:28.3. Kenney continued her solid performance during the opening competitions of the 2024 cross country season by placing 35^th with a season-best 23:41.5 across 6K. Lyngen also had a season best in finishing 39^th in 23:46.0. She was followed by first-year Eileen O'Connor, who was 46^th with a 6K personal-best of 23:49.4.   
 
Bennies placed 2^nd at CSB Invite
The Bennies opened the season with a strong outing as Eileen O'Connor and Mary Kenney registered top-10 finishes and top-25 marks all-time across 5,000-meters to lead CSB to second-place with 61 points at the Toni St. Pierre Invite on Friday (Sept. 6) at Boulder Creek Golf Course. Wisconsin-Stout, which had the top three finishers in the race, won the invitational with 26 points. Arely Jaime Luevano of Wisconsin-Stout captured the individual title in 18:31.7 while teammates Brekkyn Lammert was second in 18:33.7 with Claudia Lasiowski, third, in 18:44.3. CSB had four runners in the top 20, including O'Connor, a first year who clocked 19:15.0 in 5,000-meters, in her first race at Saint Benedict.  She edged Mary Kenney, a junior, who had her career-best of 19:15.4 as both runners tied Caitlin Goodman (2013) for the 23^rd best clocking all-time in 5,000-meters in program history. O'Connor finished seventh while Kenney was eighth. Senior Kalli Smith finished 11^th in 19:27.4, a career-best which ranks 39^th in program history. Junior Eva Creighton placed 16^th in 19:53.6 while another senior Lucy Lyngen was 19^th as she clocked a career-best 19:58.1.