Michael Pecha

The SDSU cross country runners who did not run in Seattle last weekend took part in the St. Olaf invite in Northfield, Minn., last Friday.

The men’s squad took second place behind Division III powerhouse Wisconsin LaCrosse, while the women did not field a complete team.

“This meet went as I hoped it would,” head coach Paul Danger said. “The team that traveled to Washington last weekend got the weekend off, but I wanted an opportunity for the rest of our team to compete in a race in order to keep the racing mindset they need for the upcoming contests.”

Sheena Dauer claimed the women’s title in 19:20, beating the rest of the competition by over a minute. Alyssa Ruedebusch and Casie Prudhomme finished fourth and sixth to round out the Jackrabbit effort.

“Sheena handled the competition easily,” Danger said.

“I was pleased to see Alyssa and Casie continue to improve. They are going to be very important to our team’s performance in a few weeks.”

Kevin Bjerke claimed the men’s race in 26:46. He was followed closely by Andy Blau and Michael Pecha in fifth and eighth, respectively.

“Kevin ran the toughest race he has all year, along with the guys behind him,” Danger said. “Mike, Andy, and Ryan Egeberg keep improving, and Mike Steele and Chris Kopp are getting stronger as well.”

Danger said he is excited about the performance of all the team members, and is looking forward to the Conference meet in October.

The Jackrabbits run this weekend at the University of Minnesota-Duluth.