The Monmouth College men’s and women’s cross country teams both turned in runner-up finishes at last week’s Midwest Conference Championship at Oak Run Public Golf Course.
In extremely sloppy conditions, the men stunned the rest of the MWC, finishing second and beating the likes of strong competition including Ripon and St. Norbert College. The men were led by junior Griff Morrill, nicknamed “Dirty G” by both teammates and coaching staff. Morrill turned in a runner-up performance, only ten seconds behind individual champion Joe Kortenhof of Lawrence University. Next for the Scots was sophomore Riley Dulin and senior Tanner Heiple. Both were ranked just outside of the top twenty heading in, but turned in 7th and 14th place finishes respectively. Narrowly missing all-conference honors was senior Mike Bersell, who captured 23rd in his final MWC meet. CJ Bonifer also rose to the occasion Saturday, finishing 33rd overall. Rounding out the top seven for the men were Alex Urbina and Carlos Miranda.
The women then matched the men, also racing to a runner-up performance. Leading the way was a quartet of sophomores: Ezzie Baltierra-Chavez, Caroline Young, Mik Moore, and Arika Hofmann. The four ran to 7th, 8th, 12th, and 13th place finishes. Caitlyn Allen ran strong in her final conference race as well, placing 17th and earning all-league honors. The Scots totaled eight all-conference runners combined. Next up is the Regional meet hosted by UW Oshkosh at Lake Breeze Golf Course this Saturday.
Riley Dulin - Sports Editor