Saturday was a big day for a number of cross-country runners from state colleges.
Carleton won the Division III women's national championship in Newville, Pa., while St. Benedict senior Fiona Smith won the individual title in record time. In the Division II race in Joplin, Mo., Winona State senior Lindsay Cunningham claimed an NCAA title as well.
By finishing her 6,000-meter race in 19 minutes, 54.1 seconds, Smith became the first D-III runner to win in under 20 minutes. She won the race by 63 seconds. It's the third time this season she has cracked the sub-20 mark, and her third NCAA title of the year — she also won the 5,000 and 3,000 meters at the indoor track and field championships. They're the first three NCAA titles in St. Benedict history.
Carleton won the team title on the same course, with a score of 151 that edged top-ranked NYU by three points. It's the first NCAA women's team title in team history and only the second overall, joining the 1980 men's cross-country team. The Knights' scorers were separated by 48.1 seconds, with Hannah Preisser their top finisher at 13th in 21:22.5.
Cunningham's winning time of 19:30.1 helped the Winona State women finish fifth in D-II; Warriors teammate Kaylee Beyer finished seventh at 20:06.3. Cunningham, who won every race she competed in this fall, also claimed her third NCAA title of the year, having won the 5,000 and 10,000 at the outdoor track and field championships.
U wrestling titles
Gophers freshmen wrestlers Hunter Lyden (165 pounds) and Max McEnelly (184) won individual championships at the Daktronics Open on Sunday in Brookings, S.D.
Lyden beat Northern Iowa's Evan Yant 5-4, coming back from a 4-1 deficit going into the final period. McEnelly rolled through his competition by a combined score of 44-12, finishing with a 4-2 decision over Northern Iowa's CJ Walrath.
Gavin Nelson finished second at 197 pounds for the Gophers, who on Saturday won a pair of dual meets in Fairfax, Va., beating Morgan State 52-0 and 37-6 over host George Mason.
Etc.
• Katie Mattson and Emma Schmidt each had 11 kills to lead Concordia (St. Paul) to a 26-24, 25-21, 25-18 victory over St. Cloud State in the championship match of the NSIC tournament on Sunday in Wayne, Neb. The Golden Bears (28-2), who are No. 4 in Division II, learn their next opponent when the NCAA field is announced Monday night.
• Mackenzie Dimarco scored in the 77th minute as host Emporia State defeated Bemidji State 2-1 in the second round of the Division II women's soccer playoffs.
