Michigan Tech men finish 4th, women 13th at NCAA Region Championships
Posted: Nov 06, 2021

Michigan Tech men finish 4th, women 13th at NCAA Region Championships

EVANSVILLE, Ind. - Michigan Tech men's cross country placed fourth and women's cross country came in 13th at the NCAA Division II Midwest Region Championships Saturday afternoon at Angel Mounds Historic Park, hosted by Southern Indiana University. Top-ranked Grand Valley State won both team titles in the women's 6K race and men's 10K. 

"Our men were just four points out of third place," said head coach Kristina Owen. "It was incredibly close, and it could have tipped in either direction. The top three teams are automatic qualifiers for the NCAA championships, so with our fourth-place finish, we'll have to wait for Monday to see if we pick up one of the at-large spots. We feel we are in a good position and I think most likely we will get a spot, but it is not guaranteed and so we'll just have to wait and see."
 
Once again, Clayton Sayen was the top finisher for the Michigan Tech men. He crossed the line 11th with a time of 30:44.6. Freshman Drew Kolodge placed 27th (31:32.0), followed by freshman Nick Niemi (31st - 31:37.2), senior Luke Moore (33rd - 31:39.8), and freshman Sam Lange (37th - 31:44.1).
 
"Our men showed an exceptional one through five pack time," said assistant coach Robert Young. "It was pretty special to be the fourth team in a field of that quality to have all five scoring runners across the line."
 
Michelle Bollini finished first for the Husky women with a 41st place 6K in 21:56.9. Sam Kurkowki came in 74th (22:36.8), followed closely by Anabel Needham (76th - 22:40.0), Chloe Strach (78th - 22:41.6), and Ingrid Halverson (92nd - 23:00.9). 
 
"The women ran brave and gutsy," Owen said. "We can't control how everyone else runs, but they gave it everything they had and that makes the day a success. I'm incredibly proud of how both our teams ran today. They went hard and left it all out there on the course."
 
Should the Huskies qualify, the NCAA Division II National Championships are Saturday, November 20 at the Abbey in Saint Leo, Florida.