WAYNE, Neb. — The Concordia-St. Paul men's and women's cross country teams competed at the NSIC Championships in Wayne, Nebraska on Friday afternoon. The CSP men's team finished eighth in the men's 8k, while the women managed a 15th place finish in the 6k.
Andrew Alexander led the way on the men's side, finishing in 18th place with a time of 26:11.71. Alexander's 18th place finish is the senior's best placement at the NSIC Championships, after managing a 49th place finish last year in Minot, North Dakota.
With his 18th place performance, Alexander earned All-NSIC Second Team honors for the first time in his career. Alexander's finish is also a career high placement for the senior runner, besting his 25th place finish at the Roy Griak Invitational earlier this season.
"It is a testament to our entire team as Andrew Alexander raced to an All-Conference performance," Head Coach Jonathan Breitbarth said. "Andrew set an example for others with his hard work and commitment to getting better each day. It is another step forward for our running family."
Andrew Boyum finished 30 seconds behind Alexander, coming in with a time of 26:41.94 to finish in 37th place. Boyum finished 49 spots better than at the 2024 NSIC Championships, marking the best placement of his career and the first top-40 finish for the sophomore.
Travis Tock managed a 47th place finish with a time of 26:58.11, coming in 48 spots better than his placement at the 2024 NSIC Championships. Ethan Blischke came in behind Tock with a time of 27:45.30 and a 74th place finish.
Matthew Urgiles-Suarez finished in 96th place with a time of 28:19.27, setting a new personal and season best mark. Jordan Stumm finished with a time of 28:57.23 to place 109th.
Josh Krummell finished in 134th place with a time of 30:11.55. Nathaniel Merrell recorded a new PR coming in with a time of 30:58.25 to finish in 140th place. Jose Nevarez-Ramirez rounded things out for the Golden Bears, coming in with a time of 32:28.02 in 144th place.
"The day started out tough with two of our top six being unable to race, " Breitbarth said. "So the rest of the team stepped up, our men executed a great race plan. Our guys flipped the script from mile one to the finish, they were aggressive and went by a number of competitors."
Augustana claimed the top spot in the men's 8k with five runners finishing in the top 10 to earn 27 placement points. MSU-Moorhead placed second with 73 placement points and Minnesota State came in third with 77 points.
Jared Gregoire claimed the title in the men's 8k coming in with a time of 24:57.92, with Augustana's Payton Brown and Bryant Keller finishing in second and third place respectively.
On the women's side the Golden Bears were led by freshman Kayla Anderson who finished in 79th place with a time of 24:49.30. The freshman's finish is a new season and personal best time, beating her previous best at the Lewis Crossover two weeks and managing her best placement of the season in the process.
Nyadio Chan finished just behind Anderson with a time of 24:52.0 to finish in 81st place. Chan finished 21 spots ahead of her placement at the 2024 NSIC Championships.
Freshman Lauryn Rosenthal finished in 105th place with a time of 26:03.20. Chloe Rihon set a new PR with a time of 28:41.60 to finish 131st in her second career 6k. Addy Nelson rounded things out for the Golden Bears, finishing with a time of 33:24.50 in her first race of the season to finish in 139th place.
"Our ladies stayed together all year," Breitbarth said. "It was great to see us move up a spot from our preseason prediction for our women. Our program did take a step forward today and we give glory to God for that progress."
Winona State claimed the women's team title, with five runners finishing in the top 10 to earn 28 placement points. Minnesota State finished in second with 57 placement points and Minnesota Duluth finished in third with 88 points.
Sophia Taarud of Winona State finished atop the podium with a time of 21:19.60. Ashley Overgaauw of Minnesota State finished in second and Shaelyn Hostager of Minnesota Duluth finished in third.
The Golden Bear will now head to Joplin, Missouri to compete at the NCAA Central Regional Championships hosted by Missouri Southern State at the Tom Rutledge Country Club on Saturday, Nov. 8.
Men's Team Notes
- For the third straight year the Golden Bears placed eighth as a team at the NSIC Championships
- First three-year stretch of top-10 finishes at the NSIC Championships since 2017-19
- Matched their preseason poll ranking of eighth, third consecutive season the men have met or exceeded their preseason ranking
- Second fastest top five average by the Golden Bears at the Wayne Country Club
- Second fastest top five average time of the season
- Second most teams the Golden Bears have defeated at the NSIC Championships
Andrew Alexander - 18 - 26:11.8 - Alexander set a new program course record at the Wayne Country Club. Ran the ninth fastest 8k time by a CSP runner in program history. Improved 31 spots from his 49th place finish at the 2024 NSIC Championships, and 75 spots from his 93rd place finish in 2023.
Andrew Boyum - 37 - 26:42.0 - Boyum manages the sixth fastest time by a CSP runner at the Wayne Country Club. Saw a 49 place improvement from his 86th place finsih at the 2024 NSIC Championships.
Travis Tock - 47 - 26:58.2 - Ran the eighth fastest time by a CSP runner at the Wayne Country Club. Managed a 48 spot improvement from his 95th place finish at the 2024 NSIC Championships.
Ethan Blischke - 74 - 27:45.3 - Improved 13 places from his 87th place finish at the 2023 NSIC Championships, improved 45 spots from his 113th place finish at the 2022 NSIC Championships.
Matthew Urgiles-Suarez - 96 - 28:19.3 - Set a new personal best time, improving 4.4 seconds from his finish at the Blugold Invitational.
Jordan Stumm - 109 - 28:57.3
Josh Krummel - 134 - 30:11.6
Nathaniel Merrell - 140 - 30:58.3 - Set a new personal best, improved 6.7 seconds from his time at the Lewis Crossover.
Women's Team Notes
- With their 15th-place finish, the CSP women's team outperformed their preseason poll expectations for the second year in a row
- Managed the fourth fastest top five average at the Wayne Country Club.
- Recorded their fastest top five average of the 2025 campaign, besting their 28:32 average at the Blugold Invitational
Kayla Anderson - 79 - 24:49.3 - Recorded a new personal best, improving 18.8 seconds from her time at the Lewis Crossover. Recorded the highest CSP women's individual finish since 2019, when Kara Lindberg finished 27th. Runs the 10th fastest race by a CSP runner at the Wayne Country Club.
Nyadio Chan - 81 - 24:52.0 - Improves 19 spots from her 100th place finish at the 2024 NSIC Championships. Improved 56 spots from her 137th place finsih at the 2023 NSIC Championship.
Lauryn Rosenthal - 105 - 26:03.2 - Recorded the best finish by a CSP freshman since Maddy Bryant finished second at the 2023 NSIC Championship.
Chloe Rihon - 131 - 28:41.6 - Recorded a new personal best, improved 1:09 from her finish at the Blugold Invitational.
Addy Nelson - 139 - 33:24.5 - Recorded a new personal best time.
