ROMEOVILLE, Ill. - The Winona State University men's and women's cross country teams return to the course after a two-week hiatus to compete in the Lewis University Crossover Invite on Saturday, Oct. 7. in Romeoville, Ill. The women's race starts at 9:30 a.m. and men's race begins at 10:30 a.m.
The Winona State women's cross country team - currently ranked No. 4 nationally in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division II poll - will feature a talented and deep roster led by
Lindsay Cunningham and
Kaylee Beyer in Illinois, where the Warriors will test against some of the top NCAA Division II teams in the country.
Cunningham and Beyer both beat a field of NCAA Division I runners most recently at the Greeno Dirksen Invitational, a national meet co-hosted by the University of Nebraska and Nebraska Wesleyan University. There, Cunningham took top honors with a time of 16:07.2 while Beyer was the runner-up in the event with a time of 16:55.2 Both Warriors outpaced several entrants from the University of Nebraska, Iowa State University, Creighton and other NCAA Division I programs. Winona State's
Sophia Taarud nearly cracked the events top-10, coming in 11th with a time of 17:39.3.
The Winona State men's cross country team will use the Lewis Crossover to continue to build towards a strong finish with the 2023 NSIC Men's Cross Country Championships looming on the horizon. Also competing in Nebraska, the men were led by
Mitchell Johnstone was the top individual performer, coming in at 25:13.3, good for a top-50 finish in the national-caliber competition. The Warrior scoring was rounded out by
Mitchell Buerkle who earned a time of 26:20.7, followed by
Tyler Merrell at 26:50.5,
Connor Hallaway (27:43.9) and
Jacob Lanzara (27:54.0).
Fans, families and followers of the Winona State cross country programs can follow the live stream
at this link. All spectators should know that Lewis University charges a $5 parking fee per car for events at our course. The parking must be paid in advance of Saturday's event. Go to the following link for more details:
Hometown Ticketing - Lewis University Athletics (lewisflyers.com)
For the most up-to-date news in Warrior Athletics, please visit
www.WINONASTATEWARRIORS.com and
@WinonaStateATH.
About Winona State University Athletics:
The Winona State University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, as an integral part of the educational mission of the institution, is committed to offering opportunities to experience academic and athletic excellence for our student-athletes through two simple words:
Graduate Champions.
Fourteen Warrior programs compete at the NCAA Division II level within the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). Winona State University competes as an affiliate member of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) in the sport of women's gymnastics.
