Results

CANYON, Texas – The Colorado School of Mines Men's and Women's Cross Country teams dominated the 2019 NCAA South Central Region Championships on Saturday as the men took gold, while the women claimed silver in record-setting fashion and both teams punched their tickets to the 2019 NCAA Division II Championships.
 
The Oredigger men earned their second straight regional crown and third in the last four years behind a team score of 41 and four runners inside the top 10. However, the women's runner-up finish was arguably more impressive as the Orediggers produced the program's lowest team score, highest individual finish and most all-region runners in more than a decade.  Mines' women finished with an overall point total of 51, second only to #1-ranked Adams State and nearly 20 points ahead of Western Colorado. It matched the women's best-ever finish at a NCAA Regional race.
 
Individually, Chloe Cook paced Mines' women and finished the 6,000-meter course in third place thanks to a time of 21:30.1. She was the top American runner in the region and the Oredigger women's top individual finisher in over a decade. The only two runners ahead of Cook were from Adams State and natives of Ireland. On the men's side, Kyle Moran led Mines on the 10,000-meter course by way of a fifth-place finish in 30:54.5. It marked the first 10K cross country race of Moran's career and his first-ever NCAA South Central Regional race.  
 
In total, Mines' women placed all seven of its runners on the NCAA All-Region team by virtue of finishing inside the top 25. Zoe Baker took fifth in a time of 21:38.0 after finishing 13th in the region just a year ago. Morgan Molesworth crossed the line in 11th place thanks to a time of 22:01.0. Maddie Geesen finished 15th, exactly 10 seconds behind Molesworth for a final time of 22:11.0. Brook Eberle made it five Orediggers in the top 20 with her time of 22:19.2 which was fast enough for 17th place. True freshmen Brin Strouse and Molly Maksin rounded out Mines' contingency in 22nd and 23rd, respectively. Strouse posed a final time of 22:44.0 while Maksin went 22:46.2.
 
On the men's side, Mines produced six all-region performers. Dylan Ko finished right behind Moran in sixth place thanks to his 10K time of 31:05.9. Derek Steele and Max Sevcik were both top-10 runners, taking eighth and 10th, respectively, behind times of 31:24.3 and 31:35.4. Luc Hagen slotted in at #12 courtesy of 31:40.0 final mark. Vincent Workman finished 21st in 32:08.0 to round out the all-region performances and Miller Kettle capped the Oredigger contingency in 30th, running 32:39.9.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Saturday's women's race was a story centered on discipline and consistency. At the sound of the gun, Mines raced towards the head of the pack and settled into a rhythm that would lead to its eventual success. After 3,000 meters, the Orediggers had taken firm grasp of second place and that would not change. Over the last half of the course, every Mines runner maintained or improved her standing by one to two spots to clinch the record-setting finish for the Orediggers.
 
The men's race, as expected, proved to be a heavy weight battle of epic proportions. However, Mines positioned itself at the front and avoided a majority of the heavy blows. The Orediggers were in second place after 2,000 meters, but Workman made a huge push into third place and had Mines in first at the 4K mark.  Meanwhile, Western Colorado, Adams State and West Texas A&M all exchanged spots at #2, #3, #4 and even #5. The Orediggers' depth and teamwork paid off as teammates took turns carrying the torch at the front and kept Mines comfortably in front by double-digit points over the last 6,000 meters.
 
NOTABLES
- Through five races in 2019, Mines' men and women have finished no lower than second place as a team.
- Chloe Cook was also the top American runner at the 2019 RMAC XC Championships.
- Mines' women first placed second at the regional race in 2017 with a score of 82 and a top individual finish of 7th. It was also their previous all-time low score.
- Saturday marked the first time the Oredigger women have had all seven runners named all-region.
- Mines' men beat their 2018 championship score of 49 by eight points.
- The Oredigger men and women entered Saturday's race ranked #1 and #3 in the country, respectively.
- Cook is now a two-time all-region runner after claiming the same honor in 2017.
- Additionally, Steele became a two-time all-region runner after finishing 12th in 2018. In fact, Steele was the only Oredigger man on Saturday with regional race experience.
- West Texas A&M University served as the host for Saturday's event.
 
UP NEXT
In two weeks, the Orediggers head to the 2019 NCAA Division II Cross Championships on Nov. 23 in Sacramento, Calif. Live coverage information will be available at www.minesathletics.com/tv the week leading up to the event.
 
Fans can keep up with Mines XC on Twitter and Instagram at @csmtrack. They can also keep up with all of Colorado School of Mines Athletics all season long on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the handle @MinesAthletics.