NORTHFIELD, Minn. - Racing in the biggest meet of the weekend, the College of Saint Benedict cross country team registered an eighth-place finish out of 32 teams in the Maize Division of the NCAA Preview meet, hosted by Carleton College. The 6,000-kilometer meet, which serves as a teaser for the NCAA Division III Cross Country National Championship, features many of the top teams in the country trying to get a feel for the upcoming national championship course, the Bill Huyck Championship Course.
Saint Benedict was led by a 56th-place finish from first-year Sophia Wolf (Spokane, Wash./Lewis and Clark). Wolf crossed the finish line with a time of 24:01.4. Senior
Abby Bufkin (Colorado Springs, Colo./Cheyenne Mountain) was the second Bennie to finish, as her time of 24:07.5 was good for 62nd. Senior
Julia Babineau (Andover, Minn./Andover) was 71st after finishing the 6k in 24:19.6. Also recording top-100 times were junior
Mollie Ping (Winona, Minn./Winona) and sophomore
Daphne Grobstein (Golden Valley, Minn./Hopkins). Ping was 78th with a time of 24:23.0, while Grobstein's time of 24:24.0 was good for 99th.
No. 7 UW-La Crosse claimed the maize division championship, followed by No. 10 WashU and No. 16 Hope. Molly Novotny from UW-La Crosse took home individual champion honors after crossing the finish line with a time of 22:21.1.
CSB will race once more before the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Championships Saturday, Oct. 31. The Bennies will host the Bennie Johnnie Autumn Classic Saturday, Oct. 17, with the women's race set to begin at 10:15 a.m.
Individual Results
*indicates personal-best time
339. Michelle Chicas Melendez, 28:56.7
