3 Blue Hawks qualify for NAIA cross country meet

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BILLINGS, Mont. — The Dickinson State cross country team saved its best for the biggest meet of the season as three runners qualified for the NAIA national tournament as individuals Friday at the Frontier Conference championships.

Junior Gladys Rotich finished sixth in the women’s 5K race with a time of 19 minutes, 15.6 seconds. Sophomore Brittney Young also qualified thanks to her 10th-place time of 19:28.7.

On the men’s side, junior Roberto Quintero finished 10th in the 8K race in a time of 26:02.2 to qualify for the national meet.

“Overall, those three individuals ran great,” DSU head coach Mike Nekuda said. “I was happy for them.”

Both the Blue Hawk men and women took fifth out of six teams.

DSU’s women had 124 team points, one point higher than fourth-place University of Great Falls (Mont.).

The men had 122 points. Edwin Chelashaw had an 18th-place time of 26:44.5.

The NAIA national meet is Nov. 20 in Vancouver, Wash.

Frontier Conference Meet

At Billings, Mont.

Men (8K)

Team scores: Lewis-Clark State 24, Great Falls 50, Rocky Mountain 88, Carroll College 93, Dickinson State 122, Westminster College133.

Individual Top 10: 1, Jimmy Oribo, LCSC, 25:16.6. 2, Cesar Mireles, RMC, 25:33.8. 3, Sam Atkin, 25:37.2. 4, Cody Glad, LCSC, 25:42.1. 5, Shane Donaldson, UGF, 25:42.1. 6, Rigoberto Jimenez, UGF, 25:43.4. 7, Cody Larson, LCSC, 25:45.6. 8, Noah Kiprono, RMC, 25:54.1. 9, Dave Marks, LCSC, 25:58.3. 10, Roberto Quintero, DSU, 26:02.2.

Other Dickinson State finishers: 18, Edwin Chelashaw, 26:44.5. 28, Dustin Sandbak, 27:55.9. 31, Chris Gill, 28:11.0. 35, Eddie Meneses, 29:13.6. 37, Daniel Patrick, 30:11.2. 39, Clayton Steinmetz, 31:41.4.

Women (5K)

Team scores: Carroll College 33, Lewis-Clark State 44, Rocky Mountain 74, Great Falls 123, Dickinson State 124, Westminster College 139.

Individual Top 10: 1, Rianna Grossman, CC, 18:33.7. 2, Sophie Bush, LCSC, 18:53.0. 3, Chelsey Leighton, LCSC, 18:58.4. 4, Jamie Green, CC, 19:04.1. 5, Katie Gilboy, CC, 19:14.9. 6, Gladys Rotich, DSU, 19:15.6. 7, Megan Beam, RMC, 19:16.4. 8, Mackenzie O’Dore, RMC, 19:21.3. 9, Amanda Palmer, LCSC, 19:24.8. 10, Brittany Young, DSU, 19:28.7.

Other Dickinson State finishers: 38, Stormie Sickler, 21:37.8. 42, Sam Pounds, 22:01.5. 45, Rose Byrne, 22:46.7. 48, Mariela Sanchez, 23:07.4.

Tags: blue hawks, cross country, sports