November 14, 2015
Christiansen qualifies for nationals; Wolverines 15th at regionals
NEWVILLE, Pa. -- Junior Daniel Christiansen (Frederick, Md./Frederick) finished fifth individually to lead the Grove City College men's cross country team to a 15th-place finish with 464 points in the 52-team field at the NCAA DIII Mideast Regional Championships on Saturday afternoon at Big Spring High School.
Christiansen completed the eight-kilometer course in 25 minutes, 35.2 seconds -- the fourth-fastest 8K time in program history -- to earn his first career bid to the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships next weekend. His fifth-place finish is the top regional finish by a Wolverine since Garrett Cichowitz finished fifth in 2009.
Junior Gabe Imhof (Strasburg, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) was second among Grove City runners, finishing 89th in the 371-runner field with a time of 27:23.2 while fellow junior Brandon Wise (Grove City, Pa./Grove City) was just behind him with a 103rd-place time of 27:32.4. Sophomore Nick McClure (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) posted a time of 27:44.1 to finish 120th while sophomore Drew Thibault (Durham, N.H./Oyster River) rounded out Grove City's scoring five with a time of 28:08.5 to finish 150th.
Senior Joshua Dunsworth (Erie, Pa./Collegiate Academy) was 170th with a 28:25.8 and freshman Ryan Budnik (Grove City, Pa./Grove City) recorded a time of 28:51.1 to finish 208th.
Haverford claimed the team title with 67 points while Elizabethtown was second with 93 points. Grove City was second among Presidents' Athletic Conference schools at the meet, as Saint Vincent finished 13th. Haverford senior Charlie Marquardt claimed the individual title with a victorious time of 25:14.8.
The top two teams from each region receive automatic berths to the national championships while 16 additional teams from among the eight regions are selected as at-large teams. In addition, the top seven individuals from each region not part of a qualifying team also receive berths to the national meet.
The 2015 NCAA DIII Cross Country Championships are next Saturday, November 21, in Winneconne, Wis. Christiansen will compete in the men's eight-kilometer race at 12:30 p.m.