For Immediate Release
Thursday, August 25, 2016
NSIC Media Relations

Augustana Selected as Preseason Favorite in NSIC Men's Cross Country Coaches' Poll

BURNSVILLE, Minn. - The seven-time defending NSIC Champions of Augustana University were the unanimous pick to win the NSIC in the preseason men's cross country coaches' poll. The Vikings received 11 first place votes and tallied 121 points, ranking them ahead of MSU Moorhead, which received 110 points and the other first place vote (coaches cannot vote for their own team).

Augustana's Glen Ellingson was named NSIC Preseason Athlete of the Year after taking home individual honors at the 2015 NSIC Championship. Ellingson, a three-time All-NSIC runner, was 11th at the NCAA National Championships a year ago, helping the Vikings to a seventh place finish. 

The 2016 NSIC cross country season gets underway on Friday, September 2 with the regular season culminating on Saturday, October 22 at the NSIC Cross Country Championship held at Yankton Trails in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, hosted by Augustana University.
 

NSIC Men's Cross Country Preseason Coaches' Poll	Points
1. Augustana (11)	121
2. MSU Moorhead (1)	110
3. Sioux Falls	92
4. Minnesota Duluth	90
5. University of Mary	81
6. Minnesota State	79
7. Northern State	54
8. Winona State	53
9. Southwest Minnesota State	42
10. Minot State	24
Wayne State	24
12. Concordia-St. Paul	22

Glen Ellingson (Sr., Moorhead, Minn. / Moorhead HS)
Augustana
- Two-time NCAA Cross Country All-American
- Finished 11^th at the NCAA National Championships in 2015 with a time of 30:03.06 (10K)
- Finished 6th at the NCAA Central Region Championships in 2015 with a time of 30:28.28 (10K)
- Won the NSIC Championships in 2015 with a time of 25:49.9 (8K)
- Three-time All-NSIC runner
- Member of the USTFCCA All-Academic Team
 

Augustana University Vikings

Last Year NSIC Finish	2016 Preseason Poll Prediction	2015 Preseason Poll Prediction
1st	1st	1st
Team Preview
The Augustana University men’s cross country team comes into 2016 looking to continue their recent run of success with head coach Tracy Hellman entering his 17th season leading the Viking program. Last year, Augustana started and finished in first in the NSIC. The Vikings come into the 2016 season as the seven-time defending NSIC Champions and four-time defending NCAA Central Region Champions. Augustana men’s cross country registered its seventh straight top-10 finish at the NCAA Championships last season after a seventh place finish. Last year’s NSIC individual champion, Glen Ellingson, returns for his senior season in 2016. Ellingson earned All-American honors last season with an 11th place finish at the NCAA Cross Country Meet. Ellingson also earned All-Central Region honors and Academic All-NSIC. Joining Ellingson will be fellow senior Keegan Carda. Carda earned All-American honors at the NCAA Cross Country Meet with a 39th place finish. Carda also earned All-Central Region, All-NSIC and Academic All-NSIC honors last season. Juniors Nick Larsen and Logan Burns and sophomore Jonas Gjesdal will also be in the mix for the Augustana men’s cross country team. The cross country team will open the season on Friday, Sept. 2, hosting the Augustana Twilight at Yankton Trail Park.
Athlete to Watch
Glen Ellingson (Sr., Moorhead, Minn. / Moorhead HS)
First meet
Friday, Sept. 2 at Augustana Twilight – 8 p.m.

Concordia University, St. Paul Golden Bears

Last Year NSIC Finish	2016 Preseason Poll Prediction	2015 Preseason Poll Prediction
13th	12th	13th
Team Preview
For the ninth time since 2005, the Golden Bear cross country program achieved the USTFCCCA Team Academic Award. The team continues to be led by the longest tenured coach in the CSP athletics department as Jonathan Breitbarth returns for his 19th season. There is a lot of excitement in the program as the men will feature its biggest roster in Breitbarth's 19 seasons with an expected 15 student-athletes slated to be on the squad. "The summer has been productive for a number of our athletes, but it's gone really well for Caleb (Troe)," noted Breitbarth of his top returner to watch this fall. The team will be boosted by big numbers combined with a strong infusion of talent within the large recruiting efforts. "We have the Class A two-mile track champion coming in as a freshman in Cole Oslin (Mora, Minn.) Overall, we really expect that a number of underclassmen will contribute to our top five or top seven in the lineups." The team reported to campus on Sunday, August 21 and started official training on Monday. The teams open the season at the Crown College Invite just west of the Twin Cities in a meet that will be a little bit larger than usual with the addition of NSIC member Minnesota Duluth. "It'll be a small enough first meet for the freshmen to get acclimated to a college racing environment but still provide enough competition that we can find out where we're at as a team right away." Breitbarth concluded, "As always, we encourage anyone in and around the Twin Ctiies to come out to the Griak on September 24th and look for the Concordia tent!"
Athlete to Watch
Caleb Troe (So., Albert Lea, Minn. / Albert Lea HS)
First meet
Saturday, Sept. 4 at Crown College - 11 a.m.

University of Mary Marauders

Last Year NSIC Finish	2016 Preseason Poll Prediction	2015 Preseason Poll Prediction
4th	5th	6th
Team Preview
Last season the UMary men’s cross country team finished fourth in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and 11th at the NCAA Regional. Led by senior Steven Gordon and junior Kevin Carpenter, the Marauders return five letter winners. Carpenter and Gordon were named to the All-NSIC second team last season while the entire men’s team was named a USTFCCCA All-Academic Team. The three other returning runners are junior Tyler Erickson, sophomore Teegan Olson and sophomore Derek Myers  Last season Carpenter, who is one of the two juniors on the team, was named to the NCAA/USTFCCCA All-Region team. Dennis Newell will start his 11th season at the head coaching position for UMary. He said that his goal for this team is to be top three in the NSIC. “We’d like to make strides with our men,” Newell said. “Last year was kind of a turn around for our men. We had a lot of guys step up and do some things that again we expect year in and year out.” UMary’s roster includes one senior, two juniors, two sophomores and nine freshmen.
Athlete to Watch
Steven Gordon (Sr., Pierre, S.D. / Pierre HS)
First meet
Friday, Sept. 9 at MSUM Twilight – 8:45 p.m.

University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs

Last Year NSIC Finish	2016 Preseason Poll Prediction	2015 Preseason Poll Prediction
5th	4th	5th
Team Preview
UMD welcomes back 15 letterwinners from a year ago, including all of the runners that took part in both the 2015 NSIC Championship and NCAA II Central Regionals. Add to that the return of two battle-tested seniors who took last fall to pursue academic endeavors and the Bulldogs will come into 2016 sporting a roster that’s the deepest they’ve had under the seven-year head coaching reign of Paul Nisius. Headlining the list of holdovers are seniors Ben Hanson, Mitch Fisher (who spent the fall of 2015 taking classes in New Zealand) and Drew Johnson (who did an internship in California with the Cargill Corporation), juniors Henry Jessen, Grant Pulver, Alex Naughton , Josh Peterson and Cody Sedbrook, and sophomores Adam Armbruster, Nick Lahr, Nick Lawson and Isaac Overmyer. 2015 Minnesota High School State Cross Country Meet participants Kendall Hill (Duluth East HS), Jake Kluver (Buffalo HS) and Wyatt Midtvedt (New Prague HS) are three of the UMD rookies who could have an immediate impact with the 2016 Bulldogs.
Athlete to Watch
Henry Jessen (Jr., Edina, Minn. / Edina HS)
First meet
Saturday, Sept. 3 at Crown College Invitational - 11 a.m.

Minnesota State University, Mankato Mavericks

Last Year NSIC Finish	2016 Preseason Poll Prediction	2015 Preseason Poll Prediction
6th	6th	4th
Team Preview
Minnesota State, which posted a sixth-place finish at the NSIC Championships, completed the 2015 season with a 14th-place result at the NCAA Division II Central Region meet. The Mavericks return six letterwinners from last year’s team.  Senior Brendan Gessner, the lone senior on the team, along with juniors Michael Hoff and Austin Pasch and a trio of sophomores in Caleb Burke, Derek Cruz and Steven Erredge all boast conference meet experience and will lead a youthful roster. Hoff, a two-year letterwinner, was the top Minnesota State performer at the NSIC Championship with a 23rd place finish, while his 65th place result at the regional meet also paced the squad.  Burke was 26th at the NSIC meet, while Erredge and Cruz were 27th and 29th, respectively at the league championship. Gessner (41st) and Pasch (30th) also have conference championship meet experience.  Newcomers to the squad include juniors Derek Finsterwalder and T.J. Schiltz, along with freshmen Isaiah Rabata and Austin Yardley. Former UW-River Falls co-head coach Chris Rombough, a former stand-out on the University of Minnesota men’s cross country and track & field program, is in his first year in charge of the Maverick men’s cross country program. Minnesota State opens the 2016 season on Sept. 2 at the Augustana Twilight meet.
Athlete to Watch
Austin Pasch (Jr., Westby, Wis. / Westby HS)
First meet
Friday, Sept. 2 at Augustana Twilight – 8 p.m.

Minnesota State University Moorhead Dragons

Last Year NSIC Finish	2016 Preseason Poll Prediction	2015 Preseason Poll Prediction
3rd	2nd	3rd
Team Preview
Coming off of back-to-back trips to the national championships, including a 21st place finish in 2015, the MSUM men are looking for their third straight trip to nationals and to better a third-place finish at the NSIC Championships. MSUM returns six of the seven individuals who competed at the national meet, led by senior Brady Speicher, who earned all-region and All-NSIC first team honors a year ago.  Sophomore Josh Young also earned all-region honors and was named to the All-NSIC first team while earning NSIC Newcomer of the Year honors. Seniors Cody Christ and Brandon Selbig, junior Jay Biwer and sophomore Joshua Ernst also after starting last season. Biwer was an All-NSIC second team honoree in 2015. The Dragons add seven true freshmen to the roster this year who look to compete for a spot in the top seven. MSUM finished fifth in the Central Region last year as well. Ryan Milner is in his sixth season as the Dragon cross country/associate track and field coach.
Athlete to Watch
Josh Young (So., Moorhead, Minn. / Moorhead HS)
First meet
Friday, Sept. 9 hosting the Dragon Twilight - 8:45 p.m.

Minot State University Beavers

Last Year NSIC Finish	2016 Preseason Poll Prediction	2015 Preseason Poll Prediction
12th	t-10th	11th
Team Preview
Minot State finished 12th overall at the 2015 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Championships. MISU returns all four runners who placed last year, including No. 1 runner Joel Cartwright. Cartwright, a senior, finished in 52nd overall and 48th in scoring with a time of 28 minutes, 11.5 seconds. Two weeks later, he was MISU’s top runner at the NCAA Central Region Championships, placing 128th overall to help the Beavers to a 26th place finish as a team in the region. Cartwright had two top 10 finishes in 2015, placing eighth at the opening meet at Minnesota State University Moorhead and 10th at the University of Jamestown Jimmie Invite. Joining him in the top 100 at the conference meet was sophomore Devon Shumway. Shumway traversed the 8K NSIC course in a time of 28:44 to place 73rd overall and 62nd in scoring in his first NSIC Championship. He was 150th at the regional. Julio Romero and Steven Porter, both seniors, finished 104th and 105th respectively at last year’s NSIC Championship. Romero ran a time of 30:25.2, while Porter ended with a 30:46.7. The Beavers will look to improve on their 12th place finish as MISU has finished 12th in the past two NSIC Championships it has competed in.
Athlete to Watch
Joel Cartwright (Sr., Great Falls, Mont. / Charles M. Russell HS)
First meet
Friday, Sept. 9 at MSU Moorhead Randy Smith Invite – 8:45 p.m.

Northern State University Wolves

Last Year NSIC Finish	2016 Preseason Poll Prediction	2015 Preseason Poll Prediction
8th	7th	10th
Team Preview
The Northern State University Wolves open the 2016 fall season with ten returning runners and three incoming freshmen. Junior Clay Danielson was tabbed as the team’s athlete to watch this season after a solid sophomore campaign. Danielson finished eighth a season ago at the SDSU Classic with a season best 8K time of 27:29.30. The key for the Wolves this season is to remain healthy as they prepare for not only the NSIC Championships but also the NCAA Central Region Championships. NSU will look to the incoming freshmen, Jake Fast Wolf (Red Shirt, SD), Jackson Goodell (Albert Lea, MN), and Asher Wahl (Sioux Falls, SD), to add depth to the program as they climb their way into the top-5 in the league. Northern will open the 2016 season at home in the second annual Alumni Twilight.
Athlete to Watch
Clay Danielson (Jr., Fergus Falls, Minn. / Kennedy Secondary HS)
First meet
Friday, Sept. 2 at Northern State Alumni Twilight – 9:15 p.m.

University of Sioux Falls Cougars

Last Year NSIC Finish	2016 Preseason Poll Prediction	2015 Preseason Poll Prediction
2nd	3rd	2nd
Team Preview
While the University of Sioux Falls men’s team will be inexperienced, the squad will have several runners who have competed in the conference meet. USF’s top four runners – Jace Kraft (junior, Wessington Springs, 5th, NSIC), Billy Beseman (sophomore, Perham, Minn., 36th, NSIC), Steve Brown (sophomore, Orangevale, Calif., 32nd, NSIC) and Mason Phillips (sophomore, Bailey, Colo., 13th NSIC) will be redshirted. The decision to redshirt the four, who also placed in the top 36 at the NSIC meet, was a move to make this team stronger moving forward, noted Peterson. No doubt the loss of four top runners will hurt but first year head coach Doug Peterson sees his men’s team with a solid shot at the top six. “We will have a little inexperience but we have some talented performers who can step up. A runner to watch is Nick Lawson, who had a solid outdoor season and could have a breakout season. He will be joined by Josh Leister (So., Garretson, S.D.), Connor Bulwer (Jr., , Sioux Falls, S.D.) and Wyatt Johansen (Jr., Canby, Minn.), who redshirted a year ago.
Athlete to Watch
Nick Lawson (Jr., Plankinton, S.D. / Plankinton HS)
First meet
Friday, Sept. 2 at Augustana Twilight - 8 p.m

Southwest Minnesota State University Mustangs

Last Year NSIC Finish	2016 Preseason Poll Prediction	2015 Preseason Poll Prediction
10th	9th	9th
Team Preview
Southwest Minnesota State begins its fifth season of men’s cross country since reinstating the program prior to the 2012 season. Junior Evan Bonneson is one of five returning letterwinners from last season’s team that placed 10th at the NSIC Championships and 24th at the NCAA Regional. Bonneson led the Mustangs at the NSIC meet with a 34th place finish with a time of 27:34. He had the second best time among SMSU athletes at the NCAA Region meet with a 136th place finish. Sophomore Ben Broze also returns after placing 68th at the NSIC meet and 138th at the NCAA Regional. Head coach Dan Allen begins his second season at SMSU in 2016.
Athlete to Watch
Evan Bonneson (Jr., Cottage Grove, Minn. / Park HS)
First meet
Friday, Sept. 2 at Augustana Twilight – 8 p.m.

Wayne State College Wildcats

Last Year NSIC Finish	2016 Preseason Poll Prediction	2015 Preseason Poll Prediction
11th	t-10th	12th
Team Preview
The Wildcats return just two runners from last year’s team that placed 11th in the Northern Sun Conference Championships and 23rd at the NCAA Central Regional.  Key runners gone from last year’s team include Justin Brueggemann, Wayne State’s top runner in all but one meet over the last three seasons, and Nick Fly who was the #2 runner for the Wildcats most of the last two seasons. This year’s roster of seven runners is led by returning seniors Corbin Lehn and Joey Black.  Another runner that brings experience to the Wildcat roster is junior Antoine Bardou, a transfer from Indian Hills Community College who was a two year national qualifier.  Other members on this year’s team that will be competing in collegiate cross country for the first time include redshirt freshman Isaias Solorio from Madison along with freshmen Kak Ayaj (Lincoln Northeast), Noah Noecker (Hartington Cedar Catholic) and Nathan Pearson (Alta-Aurelia HS in Iowa). Brink added that this year’s lack of experience will make this a transitional season that will hopefully lay the groundwork for success in the future.
Athlete to Watch
Corbin Lehn (Sr., Shelton, Neb. / Shelton HS)
First meet
Friday, Sept. 2 at Augustana Twilight – 8 p.m.

Winona State University Warriors