SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The South Dakota State men and women were picked to repeat as Summit League cross country champions in the preseason coaches’ poll released Tuesday by league officials.
The Jackrabbit men were voted the favorites to take home the title after receiving 49 total points and seven of the eight first-place votes. North Dakota State edged St. Thomas (36) with 37 total points to earn the No. 2 spot while North Dakota claimed the remaining first-place vote and 33 total points for fourth. South Dakota (30), Kansas City (15), Western Illinois (13) and Oral Roberts (11) completed the men’s rankings.
For the women, South Dakota State was picked to finish atop the league with 64 total points and eight of the nine first-place votes. The Bison women took the remaining first-place vote and earned the No. 2 spot with 56 total points. South Dakota came in third with 47 total points while North Dakota was selected to finish fourth with 42 total points. St. Thomas (40), Kansas City (25), Omaha (20), Western Illinois (17) and Oral Roberts (13) rounded out the women’s poll.
2022 SUMMIT LEAGUE MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY PRESEASON POLL
|
Team |
Score (1st place votes) |
| 1. |
South Dakota State |
49 (7) |
| 2. |
North Dakota State |
37 |
| 3. |
St. Thomas |
36 |
| 4. |
North Dakota |
33 (1) |
| 5. |
South Dakota |
30 |
| 6. |
Kansas City |
15 |
| 7. |
Western Illinois |
13 |
| 8. |
Oral Roberts |
11 |
2022 SUMMIT LEAGUE WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY PRESEASON POLL
|
Team |
Score (1st place votes) |
| 1. |
South Dakota State |
64 (8) |
| 2. |
North Dakota State |
56 (1) |
| 3. |
South Dakota |
47 |
| 4. |
North Dakota |
42 |
| 5. |
St. Thomas |
40 |
| 6. |
Kansas City |
25 |
| 7. |
Omaha |
20 |
| 8. |
Western Illinois |
17 |
| 9. |
Oral Roberts |
13 |
MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY PRESEASON ATHLETES TO WATCH LIST
Joseph Minor-Williams, South Dakota State
Sr. | Minneapolis, Minn.
- Garnered All-League first team honors with a sixth-place finish at the League championships, clocking an 8K time of 24:58.28
- Took 41st overall at the NCAA Midwest Regional after clocking a 10K personal-best time of 31:28.5 to help the Jacks to an eighth-place team finish
Ben Olson, South Dakota State
Sr. | Coon Rapids, Minn.
- Earned All-League first team accolades after finishing runner-up behind teammate Gabe Peters at the 2021 League championships
- Clocked a personal-best 8K time of 24:38.3 at the League championships
- Finished 37th overall at the NCAA Midwest Regional in the 10K with a time of 31:22.2
Payton Smith, North Dakota State
Jr. | Carrington, N.D.
- Among NDSU’s top three finishers in all five meets he ran in during the 2021 season
- Finished in 21st place overall at the League Championships
- Was the No. 2 finisher for NDSU at the NCAA Midwest Regional, taking 116th place (32:49.7) in the 10K
Zach Haire, St. Thomas
Sr. | Breckenridge, Minn.
- Earned All-League first team honors with a fourth-place finish at the League championships, clocking an 8K time of 24:48.10
- Opened his Division I career with a fourth-place finish at the Twin Cities Twilight finishing the four-mile race in 20:22.8
Colton Halla, St. Thomas
Sr. | Waseca, Minn.
- Finished with All-League second team accolades after an eighth-place finish at the League championships
- Finished the 8K championship race in a time of 25:07.9
- Opened last season with a third-place finish at the Twin Cities Twilight with a four-mile time of 20:20.4
Luke Labatte, North Dakota
Jr. | Distance | Inver Grove Heights, Minn.
- Began last season with a third-place finish at the Ron Pynn Classic in a 6K time of 18:19.2
- Led UND at the League championships, finishing 17th in an 8K time of 25:38.8
- Paced the UND men at the NCAA Midwest Regional with a 98th-place finish in a 10K time of 31:31.4
Nelson Ruto, North Dakota
Fr. | Eldoret, Kenya
- Enters his first cross country season for the Fighting Hawks
- Won the 3,000m at the UND Tune-Up during last season’s indoor track and field season with a collegiate-best time of 8:32.67
- Clocked a collegiate-best 10,000m time of 29:49.79 at the Bryan Clay Invitational good for 20th place
Merga Gemeda, South Dakota
Sr. | Sioux City, Iowa
- Led USD in the first five meets of the 2021 regular season prior to a season-ending injury
- Named the Summit League Cross Country Athlete of the Week five times during the season
- Owned the fastest time in the League for 8,000m (24:23.7)
Caleb Feuerbacher, Kansas City
Jr. | Mayville, Mo.
- Ran a season-best 8K time of 26:04.1 at the Arturo Barrios Invitational
- Was the Roos’ top finisher at the League championships with an 8K time of 26:48.8 for 41st place
Logan Lommel, Western Illinois
Jr. | St. Cloud, Minn.
- Competed at the 2021 NCAA Midwest Regional where he clocked a 10K time of 33:56.4
- Performances in the 1,000m 1,500m, mile, 3,000m, 3,000m steeplechase and 5,000m during the 2021-22 indoor and outdoor track and field season rank him top four in WIU school history
Olin Ortiz, Western Illinois
Jr. | Park Forest, Ill.
- Took fifth at the Early Bird Invite after finishing in a personal-best 6K time of 20:18.5
- Finished 40th at the League championships with a personal-best 8K time of 26:43.2
- Clocked a personal-best 10K time of 34:48.3 at the NCAA Midwest Regional
Erik Flores Burciaga, Oral Roberts
Jr. | Hagerman, N.M.
- Competed his first three seasons at Texas Permian Basin
- Won the ACU Naimadu Classic with a time of 24:47.6 (new program record)
- Finished runner-up at the Lone Star Conference Championships, qualifying for the NCAA Division II South Central Region Cross Country Championships
- Placed 21st at regionals and earned a spot in the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships
Shadrack Chumba, Oral Roberts
So. | Nandi, Kenya
- Completed his first three seasons at Wichita State
- Ran in all six events last season, registering two top-10 finishes
- Was the first Shocker to cross the finish line at the AAC Championships
WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY PRESEASON ATHLETES TO WATCH LIST
Leah Hansen, South Dakota State
Jr. | Willmar, Minn.
- Repeated as the League’s individual champion leading the Jackrabbits to their second women’s title in a row
- Won the League championships in a 6K time of 21:03.78
- Helped the Jacks to a 13th place finish at the NCAA Midwest Regional after finishing 21st overall with a 6K time of 21:15.67
Kaleesa Houston, North Dakota State
Jr. | Waconia, Minn.
- Clocked a personal-best 6K time of 21:49.9 at the Bradley Pink Classic
- Finished seventh at the 2021 Summit League championships for All-League first team honors
- Took 79th overall at the NCAA Midwest Regional
Abby Ripperda, South Dakota
Sr. | Sioux Falls, S.D.
- Placed eighth at the League championships with a season-best 6K time of 21:56.14
- Earned All-League second team honors
- Raced just three meets during the fall, finishing among the Coyotes’ scoring five at all three
Jadyn Keeler, North Dakota
So. | Barrie, Ontario, Canada
- Opened last season with her first collegiate win at the Ron Pynn Classic finishing the 5K in a time of 17:32.6
- Was the third Fighting Hawks to cross the line at the League championships, finishing just shy of All-League honors with a 16th-place finish in a 6K time of 22:19.4
- Clocked a collegiate-best 6K time of 21:36.9 at the Arturo Barrios Invitational
McKenzie Burian, North Dakota
Sr. | Fargo, N.D.
- Started last season with a sixth-place finish at the Ron Pynn Classic, finishing in a 6K personal-best time of 21:46.4
- Clocked a personal-best 6K time of 21:46.4 at the Arturo Barrios Invitational
- Garnered All-League second team accolades with a 14th-place finish at the League championships, running the 6K in 22:16.4
Molly Desotell, St. Thomas
So. | Green Bay, Wis.
- Competed in five meets during her freshman season with the Tommies
- Took sixth at the Twin Cities Twilight with a three-mile time of 17:36.6
- Finished 11th at the League championships with a 6K time of 22:05.1
Christina Bolcer, St. Thomas
Jr. | Maple Grove, Minn.
- Clocked a personal-best 6K time of 23:13.1 at the League championships for 34th place
- Notched a personal-best 5K time of 19:45.3 at the Joe Piane Invitational
Katherine Hanners, Kansas City
Jr. | Jackson, Mo.
- Held the best 5K time in the league last season (17:32.1) and the fourth-best 6K time (21:20.4)
- Ran in all six races and was the Roos’ top finisher in five-of-six races
- Earned All-League first team honors with a third-place finish (21:33.62) at the League championships
Sommer Herner, Kansas City
Gr. | St. Joseph, Mo.
- Ran the last two seasons for the Kansas Jayhawks
- Took 28th at the NCAA Midwest Regional
- Ran a personal-best time of 21:13.20 at the FSU Invite/NCAA Pre-National meet
Kamryn Ensley, Omaha
Fr. | Clive, Iowa
- Finished fourth in the Class 4A Iowa High School State Cross Country championships with a 5K time of 18:03.00
- Holds a 5K personal-best time of 17:53.6 ran at the Iowa State 4A Qualifier
Maya Nachtigal, Omaha
Sr. | Aurora, Neb.
- Appeared in all six meets last season, leading the Mavericks in every race
- Ran a career-best 5K time of 17:37 at the Greeno/Dirksen Invite
- Ran a career-best 6K time of 23:04.2 at the League championships, finishing 13th overall
Aylana Cezar, Western Illinois
Fr. | Sao Paulo, Brazil
- U-18 and U-20 Brazilian national champion in cross country
- Silver medalist at the 2022 U-20 South American Championships in cross country
- Bronze medalist at the 2022 U-20 Pan-American Championships in cross country
Maleigha Huston, Western Illinois
So. | Good Hope, Ill.
- Clocked a personal-best 4K time (15:44.5) in her first collegiate meet to take fourth at the Early Bird Invite
- Took 58th at the League championships after clocking a 6K time of 24:47.6
- Competed at the NCAA Midwest Regional when she clocked a personal-best 6K time of 23:53.5
Deborah Mazzei, Oral Roberts
Fr. | Tulsa, Okla.
- Won two team cross country state titles (2019, 2021)
- Selected as the 2019 Tulsa World Girls Track Athlete of the Year
- Named to the all-state cross country team twice in her prep career
Avery Mazzei, Oral Roberts
Fr. | Tulsa, Okla.
- Two-time cross country team state champion (2019, 2021)
- Named the 2021 Tulsa World Girls Track Athlete of the Year
- Finished in the top five of the state cross country meet all four prep years to earn four all-state honors
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