GRINNELL XCTF 2023 Fall Recap and Winter Preview

The 2023 XC season was one for the history books! Our squads, led by both individual champions, won the Midwest Conference Championships. The roo$ added 5 first-years, and the bea$ts added 6. 15 of our 18 men set a PR! 13 of our 18 women set a PR!

Preseason

We returned to campus on August 16th and reconnected with a family picnic, a team goals session, a trip to Dari Barn, and a fun night at Coach Sarah's house!

MEdia Day!

Central Dutch Invitational

Our first meet of the season was on September 1st. Our men raced a 6k, and our women raced a 5k!

3 Roo$ and 3 Bea$ts finished in the top 20!

Les Duke Invitational

Our next meet was the 61st Les Duke Invitational on September 9th. It was our home opener and a nice preview for the Midwest Conference Championship, also at home in October!

We also recognized our 6 seniors!

Bea$t Team Sleepover at Coach Sarah's House

Cookie Baking and fun PowerPoint Presentations

Roy Griak Invitational

On September 22, we traveled to Minneapolis to compete in the University of Minnesota's Roy Griak Invitational. It was a great meet on a tough course against high-level competition. The Roo$ finished 14th out of 33 teams, and the Bea$ts finished 17th out of 37 teams.

We got to stop at Brian Goodell's house for a carb-filled pre-meet dinner and Izzy George's house for a recovery-filled Chipotle-catered lunch after the meet!

XCTF Picnic

After our Rock Creek long run on September 24th, we enjoyed a picnic with the track team. We munched on Coach P's specialty grilled cheese and great chili!

Dan Huston Invitational

On September 30th, we traveled to Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa, for the Dan Huston Invitational. This meet was a preview for the Midwest Regional Championship, which was on the same course in November. The Roo$ finished 5th out of 21 teams, and the Bea$ts finished 4th out of 18 teams.

Augustana Interregional Invitational

On October 14th, we traveled to Rock Island, Illinois, for the Augustana Interregional Invitational. On a muddy day, the Roo$ finished 21 out of 43, and the Bea$ts finished 20th out of 42 teams.

Midwest Conference Championships

The Roo$ scored 32 points to take home the title, winning by 14 points. The men's top-5 scoring runners had a 54-second spread, a 31-second improvement from last year.
6 Roo$ earned All-MWC Honors
The Bea$ts scored 37 points to take home the title, 13 points ahead of the next team. The women's top-5 scoring runners had a 1:26 spread.
All 5 scorers earned All-MWC Honors
Yay, Keegan and Sarah!

Saga Cup

On November 3rd, we traveled to Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, for the Saga Cup, where our non-regionals squad enjoyed a season finale meet! The Bea$ts were led by Emma Wharton-Hsieh '27, and the Roo$ were led by Cameron Welch-Groves '26. Each of them took home their very own Saga Cup trophy!

Roo Team Calf Trivia Night: Calfology 101

Put your calf identification skills to the test!

NCAA Midwest Regional Championships

The Roo$ finished 11th, 3 positions better than last year, and the best team finish since 2016. The Bea$ts finished 8th, 4 positions better than last year, and the best team finish since 2017. Keely Miyamoto '26 also took home All-Region Honors!

Go Keely!
We also debuted new white singlets this post-season!

New Top-50 Additions!

Three roo$ joined Brian Goodell on the Grinnell College All-Time Top-50 list: Bradley Ramsey, John Miller, and Connor Heagy. Goodell (prev. 20) improved to 13th.
Two bea$ts entered the Grinnell College All-Time Top-50 for the first time, joining Talia Harrison (36th) on the list. Keely Miyamoto (prev. 17) and Hannah Roark (prev. 33) improved their top 50 rank to 8th and 29th, respectively. This year's women's top 5 all have PRs in the Top 50!

Fall Break!

We rented cabins at Lake Red Rock for the beginning of Fall Break and then returned to Grinnell for a fall-themed fun night at Coach Sarah's house and the annual workout on Mac Field!

Turkey Trots!

XC Post-Season Banquet

We celebrated a fantastic fall and unveiled our conference championship shirts!

Indoor Track Grinnell Opener Highlights!

Ian Clawson obliterated his own weight throw school record by over 1 meter!
Lucas Fadden tied his 60m school record that he set last year!

Men - New Indoor Top-10s

60m Hurdles: Ilem Leisher '26 - 9.17 (#2)

60: Justin Rathburn '27 - 7.34 (#9)

Women - New Indoor Top-10s

Long Jump: Millie Leonard '27 - 4.86m (15-11.5) (#6)

Shot Put: Annie Filkins '23.5 - 10.75m (35-3.25) (#10)

Weight Throw: Kylie Galowtiz '26 - 13.22m (43-4.5) (#3)

Wight Throw: Maddy Strovers '26 - 12.49m (40-11.75) (#5)

Looking Forward!

Below is our indoor track competition schedule. We'd love to hear you cheering for Grinnell if you're able to join us at any of the meets!

January 20 - Cornell Hilltop Invitational (Mount Vernon, IA)

January 27 - Grinnell Invitational (Grinnell, IA)

February 10 - Darren Young Classic (Grinnell, IA)

February 17 - Wartburg Invitational (Waverly, IA)

Feb 23 & 24 - Midwest Conference Indoor Championships (Ripon, WI)

March 2 - Wartburg Qualifier (Waverly, IA)

March 8 & 9 - NCAA DIII Indoor National Championships (Virginia Beach, VA)

March 22 & 23, we are headed to San Diego, CA, to kick off our outdoor season at the Point Loma Nazarene Invitational!!

Thank You!

We're feeling very thankful and excited as we head into winter break! We hope you’ll continue to stay engaged with the teams and follow along with our track & field seasons on social media!

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