ST. JOSEPH, Minn. - The College of Saint Benedict cross country will compete for a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Championship Saturday, Oct. 31. The conference meet, which is slated to begin at 11 a.m., will be held at the St. Olaf Cross Country Course in Northfield, Minn. The Bennies look to capture their first team crown in program history. 

 

The Bennies enter off a strong showing at the Bennie Johnnie Autumn Classic Saturday, Oct. 17. Saint Benedict had four finish within the top-25, while seven recorded a personal-best time in the six-kilometer race at River Oaks Golf Club. First-year Sophia Wolf (Spokane, Wash./Lewis and Clark) led the team with a 19th-place finish after crossing the finish line with a personal-best time of 23:38.4. Senior Abby Bufkin (Colorado Springs, Colo./Cheyenne Mountain) followed with a time of 23:48.3, good for 21st. Junior Mollie Ping (Winona, Minn./Winona) recorded the third-best time by a Bennie, as she clocked in at 23:56.6 to finish 24th. Senior Bailey Link (Brush, Colo./Brush) rounded out the top-25, closely following Ping with a career-best time of 23:57.5 to take 25th.  
 

At the 2025 MIAC Championships, CSB finished eighth. Now-sophomore Daphne Grobstein (Golden Valley, Minn./Hopkins) led Saint Ben's. Grobstein earned All-MIAC Honorable Mention after a 23rd-place finish. She posted a time of 23:09.8 in the six-kilometer race.  

 

The Bennies look to finish within the top-three for the fifth time under the direction of head coach Robin Balder-Lauoue. Balder-Lanoue has coached 29 All-MIAC selections, 25 All-MIAC Honorable Mention athletes, 40 All-Region athletes and five NCAA Division III All-Americans, and one individual national champion - Fiona Smith. 

 

The meet will have live results, which can be found here. To view the course map, click here, while MIAC Championships merchandise can be ordered here.