Results

KENOSHA, Colo. – The Orediggers impressed Saturday at the Lucian Rosa Invite hosted by Wisconsin Parkside as Colorado School of Mines Cross Country swept the men's and women's team titles while Grace Strongman won individual gold.
 
Mines' women, the #4-ranked team in NCAA Division II, upset #1 Adams State after a 1-2-3 finish from Strongman, Emily LaMena, and Margaux Basart. That trio anchored a team score of 51 which bested ASU by 26 points. Strongman's individual crown in the 6K race came in a time of 20:36.8 which edged LaMena by less than three seconds. The Oredigger men, ranked #2 in the nation, narrowly clinched team gold thanks to Paul Knight's bronze-medal performance. He guided Mines to a team total of 52 points, just seven points ahead of #3 Adams State. The victory for the women was their first win of any sort against Adams State since the 2020 RMAC Cross Country Championships. Mines' men extended their team win streak to eight races – dating back to Sept. 21, 2024.
 
The women's championship 6K was the first of four races scheduled for Saturday morning at the Wayne E. Dannehl National Cross Country Course. After the starting gun sounded, it took the Oredigger trio of Strongman, LaMena, and Basart just one mile to separate themselves from the pack. LaMena and Strongman were neck-and-neck at the split with Basart just six second back. At the race to the finish line, Strongman slipped past LaMena with the duo clocking 20:36.8 and 20:39.7, respectively. Basart grabbed bronze thanks to a 21:21.8 pace. Then, it was a race to the team crown. Callen Nash and Katie Price anchored that effort, crossing 17th and 28th respectively. Those finishes afforded Mines the margin it needed despite ASU's top-five runners getting in before the Orediggers. Gabi Boeckman and Angela Friedman rounded out Mines' top seven in 36th and 40th, respectively. Lexi Herr and Josie Mejia also appeared for the Orediggers.
 
After the women's championship-rated race, it was the men's turn in the championship 8K. The field of 25 teams including 10 nationally-ranked squads did not disappoint. By the 5K checkpoint, Paul Knight and Ethan Grolnic has positioned themselves near the front of the pack. Jeremiah Vaille, Daniel Appleford, Max Bonenberger, Braden Struhs, and Dawson Gunn were not far behind. Over the last 3,000 meters of racing, Grolnic and Knight essentially swapped spots at the front. Knight finished third in 24:28.3 and Grolnic was sixth in 24:33.2. Late, strong surges from Struhs, Vaille, Bonenberger, and Gunn helped that quartet finish within four seconds of each other, going 13-14-16-17, respectively. Bonenberger served as the Orediggers' fifth scoring runner while Gunn and Appleford both displaced the Grizzlies' final scorer. Jacob Schwarting, Charlie Welch, and Cody Wyman were Mines' remaining trio and they all finished in the top-45 out of 220 runners.
 
Saturday's race was a preview of sorts for the 2025 NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships which will be competed at the same site on Nov. 22. The day also brought more Oredigger and collegiate debuts. Katie Price, Gabi Boeckman, Angela Friedman, Jacob Schwarting, and Wyman all ran the first official collegiate races of their respective careers. Charlie Welch raced in a Mines uniform for the first time after competing for the University of Colorado since 2021.
 
The Orediggers will close their regular season on Saturday, Oct. 11 at the FHSU Tiger Open in Hays, Kan. A full preview and any live coverage information will be released the week of the race at www.minesathletics.com.
 
Fans can keep up with Mines cross country on "X" (formerly Twitter) and Instagram at @csmtrack. They can also keep up with Colorado School of Mines Athletics all year long on Facebook, "X" and Instagram using the handle @MinesAthletics.