Winona, Minn.- With much of the NCAA sports world waiting to resume, fans and followers of
Winona State Athletics can still stay connected to their favorite teams with the
Warrior ReWind series.
Warrior ReWind stories seek to highlight notable performances by WSU teams, student-athletes, and coaches throughout the course of the proud history of
Winona State Athletics. Stay tuned over the next several weeks, as we revisit
Warrior points of pride from competitions involving all 14
WSU varsity athletic programs.
Earlier this year, the
Warrior men's and women's cross country teams put up some impressive numbers - both on the course, and in the classroom.
In the recently-concluded 2019-20 academic year,
Winona State harriers are found on almost every academic success category recorded by the University. In competition, WSU cross country programs saw
Josh Jarpey and
Nikki Staffen each lead the way for their respective men's and women's programs at various times, including the duo sweeping NSIC Cross County Athlete-of-the-Week honors in mid-September. Read more on the doubled-up award
at this link.
Peruse further below for more notable items and other
Warrior points of pride as we reflect on the
2019 Winona State Cross Country seasons and some historical benchmarks.
Warrior Men's & Women's Cross-Country 2019 Highlights:
Josh Jarpey was the highest-finishing Warrior at the
2019 NSIC Men's Cross County Championship; his 26:12.90 time was tops for Winona State on the day and good for 9th place overall. His strong sophomore season earned him
First Team All-Conference honors.
Olivia Anger earned the
2019 NSIC Elite 18 Award in women's cross-country, holding the top GPA among all women's participants in the fall championship. Anger's 4.0 GPA combined with her 17th place NSIC finish provided the platform to claim the first of two Winona State Elite 18 winners this past academic year.
In February, the women's cross-country team was named as a
2019 All-Academic Team by the
U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA); the honor included both an overall GPA requirement and registering a team score in their regional championship meet.
Of the 113 men's participants,
Josh Jarpey, Isaiah Warning, and
Ross Stevensen cracked the top 50 in the 2019 NSIC Men's Cross County Championship, while
Micah Warning and Cole Cohorst landed inside in the top 60.
In addition to their team program honor, six Warriors earned individual All-Academic honors in women's cross-country;
Olivia Anger,
Allison Hendrickson,
Nikki Kelley,
Katie Lorenz,
Natalie Nowatzke and
Nikki Staffen each registered a GPA over 3.25 and finished in the top-30 percent of their respective regional championship meet.
The
Lucian Rosa Invite, hosted by
UW-Parkside, was won by the
Warrior women as they claimed the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh overall best times, en route to the team title.
At the
NCAA Division II Central Regional race, junior
Ross Stevensen improved his post-season mark (32:43.0) by nearly a full minute off his time the year prior in the same competition.
The
Winona State women's team finished 3rd out of 16 teams this past fall at the
2019 NSIC Women's Championships, edging No. 4
Minot State by two points.
WSU was also one of three NSIC teams to finish in the top five at the
NCAA Division II Women's Central Region; the
Warriors were fourth overall, with NSIC foes
Augustana and
U-Mary claiming the No. 1 and No. 2 team spots.
The men's cross-country team peaked in the post-season, finishing ahead of several other NSIC programs at the NCAA Division II Central Regional- Winona State bested Minnesota State, Northern State, Minot State, Wayne State and Upper Iowa in concluding the 2019 campaign.
When both Warrior squads compete for the first time in the fall of 2020, it will mark the Winona State debut of
John Hibshman, named head coach this past February.
Did You Know?:
-
Winona State has had two women's individual champions in
Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference history;
Maureen Ryan was top in the NSIC in 1992, while
Ameila Soto won the 2004 individual title
- In men's cross country, the
NSIC competitive ranks
have grown from five squads in 2005 (Wayne State, Northern State, MSU-Moorhead, Concordia-SP and Winona State) to 14 teams this past fall.
-
Neal Mundahl earned
NSIC Women's Coach-of-the-Year honors four times; 1998, 2001, 2003 and 2004. HIs 2004 women's squad earned the NSIC Team Title.
- The 1988
Winona State men's cross-country squad won the
NSIC Team Championship. Coach
Daryl Henderson earned
Coach-of-the-Year honors in the same season.
- Dating back to the 2009 campaign,
Winona State women's cross country has produced a Top-6 or higher team score at the
NSIC Championships every year, including a program-best No. 2 team finish in 2012. They have finished in third place four times in that same span of seasons; 2016, 2014, 2013, 2011.
-
Winona State has had the
NSIC Men's Athlete-of-the-Year / Individual Champion on five occasions;
Daryl Henderson (1976, 1977),
Tony Schiller (1979),
Lou Heidenreich (1989) and
Wade Berger (1990).
For more on Winona State University athletics, be sure to check out
www.WINONASTATEWARRIORS.com and
@WinonaStateATH.
