ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – After a series of impressive outings this fall, the College of Saint Benedict cross country team is ready to compete on Saturday, Nov. 16 at the NCAA North Central Region Championship at the Bill Huyck Championship Cross Country Course in Northfield, Minn.

Carleton College is hosting the NCAA North Region Cross Country Championships with the women's 6,000-meter ran set to start at 11 a.m., and will be followed by the men's race at noon.  For live results, click here.

The Bill Huyck course was selected to host the 2016 and 2017 NCAA Central Region Championships as well as the 2019 and 2023 MIAC Championships. Runners and teams that qualify for NCAA DIII National Championships will compete on Saturday, Nov. 23 at the LaVern Gibson Championship Course at Terre Haute, Ind. The Bennies placed seventh at the MIAC Championships two weeks ago as CSB graduate student Lucy Lyngen was 24th, earning All-MIAC Honorable Mention honors.

How Bennies fared at 2023 Regional
A year ago, Fiona Smith of CSB, who later captured the 2023 NCAA DIII cross country title, recorded her third consecutive NCAA DIII North Region title by again dominating the field on Saturday, Nov. 11 at the Whitetail Golf Course. Smith, who covered the 6K distance in 20:42.2, bettered the field by 25 seconds and led the Bennies, directed by head coach Robin Balder-Lanoue, to a sixth-place finish with 231 points. Smith earned All-Region honors along with senior Annie Kiolbasa, who had a 22:24.7 clocking to finish a personal-best 18^th. It was the second straight year that both Smith (who has earned all region honors three times) and Kiolbasa earned all-region honors. In recorded MIAC history, Smith is the first-ever from the conference to win three straight NCAA DIII North Regional titles.  Also for CSB, senior Lucy Lyngen finished in 23:35.5 for 65^th place, a personal high placing. Senior Bridget Tetmeyer finished 72^nd with a 23:40.7 clocking. In addition, senior Keiley Maahs was 75th in 23:43.3; sophomore Eva Creighton, 92^nd, at 24:10.9; with sophomore Mary Kenney, 108^th in 24:26.5.

Smith wins CSB Fall Finale
Senior Kalli Smith of the College of Saint Benedict cross country team captured the Fall Finale on Nov. 8 by clocking 19:43 across 5,000-meters on a cool, fall day on the CSB/SJU Cross Country Course. The Bennies had a solid run at the Fall Finale with several personal-bests and several others that were near career-marks. Finishing behind Smith, who finished just off her personal best of 19:27.4 on Sept. 6 at the Toni St. Pierre Meet, was sophomore Julia Babineau, who finished in 20:36 for second and was followed by sophomore Taylor Radaich, who was third in 20:40 with a career-best as she had a 20:59 on Sept. 6.

CSB places seventh at the MIAC Championships with Lyngen placing 24th
Led by graduate student Lucy Lyngen's 24th place finish, CSB placed seventh in the team standings at the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship on Saturday, Nov. 2, at the St. Olaf Cross Country Course. Junior Hannah Preisser of Carleton captured individual honors with a clocking  of 21:44.2, finishing ahead of Alison Bode of St. Olaf at 22:29.7. No. 17  St. Olaf won the MIAC title with 34 points, including four runners in the top 10. ​Lyngen earned honorable mention All-MIAC honors with her top-25 finish. In clocking 24:39 to grab 24^th place, Lyngen opened with 11:38.4 through 3,000-meters. First-year Eileen O'Connor was 36^th in 24:12.8 in her first MIAC Championship race. Sophomore Abby Bufkin placed 41^st at 24:30.9 with junior Mary Kenney, 49^th, in 24:47.8. Junior Natalie Zielsdorf  was fifth (54^th overall) on CSB with a clocking of 24:57.3, just ahead of junior Eva Creighton in 58^th in 25:06.0.

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.