2022 D3 XC: Midwest Regional Preview
Ranch on pizza, dessert called “puppy chow,” and the phrase “ope” after dropping something are all defining characteristics of the region in the U.S. referred to as the Midwest. What many do not think of is XC national champion Kassie Parker or nationally ranked men’s and women’s teams Wartburg. To the D3 running community, however, a name like Parker is just as familiar as the combined flavors of chocolate, peanut butter, powdered sugar, and Chex cereal, and scanning the pack for candy cane North Central jerseys at the front of the NCAA meet is just as instinctive as muttering ‘ope’ after bumping into someone at the grocery store.
Men’s Midwest Region
The men’s region boasted impressive depth last year, advancing five teams from the regional championships to the NCAA meet. The midwest was one of four regions to advance five teams, the highest number of teams taken out of a men’s region last year. The other regions included the East, Mideast, and North. Look for a similar level of competition this year, as 2021 national qualifying teams Wartburg, UChicago, North Central, WashU, and Loras all return strong rosters to the course this year.
The strongest contender for the Midwest automatic bid is likely the squad from Wartburg, who returns steeplechase national champion Christopher Collet. Collet was runner-up at last year’s championship meet to teammate Joe Freiburger. Having graduated from Wartburg last year, Freiburger might be this team’s largest loss this season.
They will, however, be able to rely on varsity returners Dalton Martin, Morgan Shirley-Fairbairn, and Alec Ille. They also add newcomers Lance Sobaski, Eli Larson, Tyler Schermerhorn, and Shane Erb, who helped lead the charge for the Knights last weekend at Les Duke Invitational. They made up four of Wartburg’s five scorers alongside Ille, scoring 39 points to win the eight-team invitational. After dropping in Collet, Shirley-Fairbairn, and Martin to this lineup, this squad is sure to be dangerous over 8,000 meters.
U of Chicago men premiered some fast 5ks to start their season. Their leader, Cy Chittenden placed second overall in a time of 15:26. He was followed closely behind by Luke Collins (third in 15:33), John List (fifth in 15:50), and Emile Sow (sixth in 15:50). Their fifth scorer, freshman Sam Tullis ran 16:00 to round out a tight pack time of 34 seconds. Of these, only Chittenden and Collins represented Chicago at last year’s regional championships. Though this squad loses frontrunners Sam Craig and Henry Myers, these early season results indicate they return the depth on their roster to keep up with their fellow Midwest powerhouses.
Following the retirement of Head Coach Frank Gramarosso, the North Central Cardinals forge ahead into the fall under interim cross country coach and former assistant coach Matt Sinnott. A program known for their long winning streaks and history of national excellence, the Cardinals set precedent for their season in winning fashion. A trip up to the regional course at Aurora last weekend proved to be fruitful, as NCC took the win in an impressive low-point total of 19. They were led by senior Braden Nicholson, who won the meet in 26 minutes even. He was joined by fellow Cardinals Connor Riss, Max Svienty, James McGlashon, and Matthew Jett, who finished within 11 seconds of each other, crossing the finish line in fourth through seventh place. The previous weekend, this squad placed seven athletes in the top 10 of the Elmhurst Invite men’s 6k to score another low and victorious total of 21. If this squad can keep a tight pack time in the larger championship races as they have in these early-season rustbusters, they’re sure to make an impact in both the regional and national lineups.
Wash U adds to their already-strong roster California standout Oliver Witt, who in his first collegiate race ever dropped a 6k time of 18:48 for the win at the WashU vs. Greenville Dual. The Bears won easily, scoring a perfect 15. They didn’t race national returners Matt Kusak, Jeff Candell, Cullen Capuano, or Andrew Sidamon-Eristoff, all of whom are expected to contribute to WashU’s strong regional squad this year. A team projected to land in the top 10 in the nation, many anxiously await for this squad to race their full roster to see what returners and new additions can accomplish when united as one. The Bears are expected to line up at the Gill Dodd Invite at Wheaton this coming weekend.
Rounding out the regional top 5 is the team from Loras. The Duhawks return most of their national XC roster in athletes Ryan Harvey, Luke Guttormson, Wyatt Kelly, Will Yasdick, and Julian Watson. They opened their season at the regional course placing runner-up to North Central by 27 points. Beating teams outside the region will be crucial for this squad to make it to the national course later in the season.
On the individual front, only Simpson’s Spencer Moon, Central College’s Caleb Silver, and Luther’s Tom Altier represent individual national qualifiers who will be returning from last year. Watch out for Cornell College’s Aaron Davidson to shake things up in the front. Davidson started his season with a victory at the Les Duke Invitational. He was followed across the finish line by Simpson’s Drew Klein and Central College’s Noah Jorgenson and Cutler Owens, all of whom also have a good shot of advancing as individuals to the NCAA championship.
Midwest men’s team predictions:
Wartburg
Wash U
North Central
U of Chicago
Loras
Midwest men’s individual predictions:
Christopher Collet (Wartburg)
Spencer Moon (Simpson)
Dalton Martin (Wartburg)
Tom Altier (Luther)
Andrew Sidamon-Eristoff (Wash U)
Cullen Capuano (Wash U)
Cy Cittenden (UChicago)
Morgan Shirley Fairbairn (Wartburg)
Caleb Silver (Central College)
Braden Nicholson (NCC)
Women’s Midwest Region
Returning cross country national champion Kassie Parker headlines the women’s Midwest region. After two disappointing losses in the outdoor track season to Wellesley’s Ari Marks, Parker is likely to return on a mission to reclaim her throne in women’s distance running. With no Marks on the start line, Parker enters this season with no major challengers. Instead, she has her eyes set on the history books. Last year, she cited going after Missy Buttry’s now 19-year old cross country all-time best of 20:00 over 6,000 meters. If she breaks this record, she will become the first woman in D3 history to cover this championship distance in under 20 minutes.
One of the motivations Parker could have on her side this year is the prospect of being joined by her teammates. The Loras Duhawks bring forth a strong roster this year, accentuated by the addition of transfer Alison Bryant, an individual national XC qualifier during her time at Franciscan. They opened their season at the MSU Spartan Classic, in which they scored a perfect 15 points, led by Brianna Renner, who took the victory over Parker by a single second. Behind Parker, Bryant debuted her new Duhawks jersey with a third place finish, while newcomer Bailey Vaughan and returner Ellie Osterberger took fourth and fifth, respectively. Additionally, their sixth and seventh scorers finished under 25 minutes, indicating that they have reinforcement if anyone up front has a bad day.
Loras as a program has seen incredible team success in recent years having won the past three track and field team titles. While a good portion of this success can be attributed to Loras’s sprints and jumps athletes, it seems only fitting that Loras enters the national conversation surrounding cross country teams as well.
They will have a tall task ahead of them to rise to the top of the Midwest region, however, as the squad from Wartburg currently dominates the field. They are led by All-American Aubrie Fisher, who placed sixth at last year’s NCAA championship meet. Fisher comes off of a stellar track season in which she anchored her team’s indoor DMR team to a national title, just outrunning Loras’s Parker. She also took runner up in the 3000m steeplechase outdoors.
She is rejoined this year by teammates Riley Mayer, another XC All-American, Lexi Brown, Shaelyn Hostager, and Natalie Paulson, all of whom competed at the national meet last year. They also add to their lineup freshman Haley Meyer, who began her rookie season with a runner-up finish at Les Duke in an impressive time of 23:15.
Other teams with strong contention for NCAAs are those of Wash U and U of Chicago, who placed fifth and sixth in the nation, respectively behind Wartburg last year. Wash U’s top returner this year is Emily Konkus, who missed out on All-American honors last year by a single spot. After a 5k PR of 16:56 on the track last year, Konkus is sure to be building momentum to ensure a different fate this year. She leads the way for fellow returners Lindsay Ott and Ella Behrens as well as newcomers Jillian Heth and Cate Stevens, who placed first and third, respectively at the Bears’ opening dual meet against Greenville.
U of Chicago has perhaps the strongest returning lineup in the Midwest this year. They bring back All-American Claudia Harnett, as well as national qualifier in the 5k Lucy Groothuis, national XC competitors Frances Schaeffler, Maddie Kelly, Elisabeth Camic, and veterans Anna Kenig-Ziesler, Caitlin Jorgensen, and Katarina Birimc. The squad of Groothuis, Kenig-Ziesler, Schaeffler, Jorgensen, and Birimac completed the clean-sweep victory at the St.Francis Twilight meet, posting a pack time of 34 seconds.
Both Groothuis and Kenig-Ziesler dipped under the 18-minute barrier for 5k, a fast opener on the cross country course. In fact, eight U of Chicago runners ran under 18 minutes at St. Francis at the beginning of the month. Either St. Francis has an extremely flat and fast course, or U of Chicago is more of a threat within the Midwest than people are ready to realize.
In the individual race, Central College’s Caroline McMartin, Webster’s Danielle Schultz (now running for Wash U), Nebraska Wesleyan’s Gabby Thomas, Grinnell’s Emma Schaefer, and Aurora’s Deyanneira Colon Maldonado are all 2021 NCAA XC championship qualifiers who will return to the start line this year. Only NCC’s Jenna Fiore will not return. With the possibility of Parker advancing with a team this year, more individual spots could open up as well. McMartin has started her season strong with a clean victory at Les Duke last weekend. She was the only competitor under 23 minutes.
Midwest Women’s Team Predictions:
U of Chicago
Wartburg
Wash U
Loras
Central College
Midwest Women’s Individual Predictions:
Kassie Parker (Loras)
Aubrie Fisher (Wartburg)
Claudia Harnett (U of Chicago)
Lucy Groothuis (U of Chicago)
Riley Mayer (Wartburg)
Emily Konkus (Wash U)
Caroline McMartin (Central College)
Anna Kenig-Ziesler (U of Chicago)
Natalie Paulson (Wartburg)
Alison Bryant (Loras)