<turday, Carleton’s Men’s Cross Country team looked better than they have in the last two years on the race course at St. Olaf College.
This might have been because almost the entire team stepped up to the starting line, or because the team blazed to their best finish at this race since 2008. More likely, the Fellahs impressed the crowds because of the members of the class of 2015 who were running their first full 8-kilometer race.
Sophomore Marcus Huderle led the men in the race taking 16th overall. He was followed by a tight-knit pack of Jacob Hoerger ‘14, Thor Laack-Veeder ‘15, Josh Campbell ‘13, Kian Flynn ‘12 and Noah Laack-Veeder ‘15.
Freshmen Gustav Danielsson, Bill Grimm, Oliver Heywood, Connor Jackson, Noah Laack-Veeder, Thor Laack-Veeder and Ben Levy didn’t stop at the 5,000 meter mark like most high school runners would, but instead dazzled coaches and spectators alike by eating up the last 3k with impressive times for first-years.
Thor Laack-Veeder led the class of 2015 to finish in 26:59 (an average of 5 minutes 26 seconds per mile over the 5 mile course). That’s the best a freshman on Carleton’s mens cross country team has ever raced at St. Olaf.
After the race, he said, “If I had run faster I think I would’ve got a better time.” That kind of intelligence is characteristic of this new crop of runners.
The freshmen not only showed up the older Fellahs by great individual performances, but they also fared better as a team.
Officially, the team scored 140 points to finish fourth overall. This put them ahead of MIAC competitors Saint Mary’s University (fifth), Gustavus Adolphus College (sixth), Augsburg College (seventh) and Macalester College (twelfth).
The the Oles came in second with 56 points, a staggering 94 points ahead of the Fellahs. However, if the race were scored exclusively by first year competitors, the totals would put the Carls at 141 and the Oles at 99, just a 42 point gap that these new runners will surely close by fall of 2014.
The Fellahs will be hitting the fairways at the University of Minnesota for the Roy Griak Invitational, where they will get another shot at the Oles. Senior Captain Flynn will be busy preparing his team for tomorrow while also aiding their academics by talking to every team member in the library, where he works and spends most of his time.