BISMARCK, N.D. – The Bismarck State College men's and women's cross country teams are peaking at the perfect time as they pack their bags for Billings, Montana, to compete in the Frontier Conference Cross Country Championships at Amend Park on Friday, Nov. 6.
"We're looking forward to seeing all the competition in the Frontier Conference and setting a new standard for Bismarck State cross country," Coach Leingang said about the upcoming meet. "The standard is to be a team that competes for a top place at conference, and we're excited to take a step towards that direction on Friday."
Under the direction of third-year head coach
Julia Hammerschmidt and first-year assistant coach
Jake Leingang, the Mystics are carrying a wave of momentum into the postseason following an impressive showing at the Marauders Tune-Up on October 23. On that day, six Bismarck State runners slashed at least 39 seconds off their previous times on the McDowell Dam course, proving that the training regimen is paying off when it matters most.
"The team has made huge progress in the right direction this season, not only as athletes, but they have done a great job of building a positive team culture, making it contagious to be around," said Leingang.
Pfliger Leads Balanced Men's Pack
The Mystic men notched their second consecutive fourth-place team finish at the tune-up, trimming 14 points off their early-season home opener score. Leading the charge for the Mystics is junior
Michael Pfliger, who has emerged as the team's top finisher in consecutive meets. Pfliger crossed the finish line in 17th place out of 44 runners with a time of 27:46.9 over the 8-kilometer course, shaving more than 42 seconds off his previous mark on that turf.
Behind him, a tightly packed group of underclassmen is keeping the pressure on the competition. Sophomore
Derek Oswald has been a consistent force, capturing 22nd place at the tune-up with a time of 28:14.6. Sophomore
Noah Bedlion followed closely in 29th place with a time of 29:04.1, showcasing a nearly 40-second improvement.
The biggest breakthrough of the late regular season came from freshman
Nathaniel Schumacher, who engineered a massive leap by clocking a 29:31.9—a personal improvement of 1 minute and 22 seconds. Freshman
Reid Ressler rounded out the Mystics' top five scorers by crossing the line in 30:21.8. With the pack tightening up, the men are primed to make a major statement on the conference stage.
Crane Sisters and Women's Underclassmen Making Strides
Though the Mystic women have run with four athletes this fall their individual progress has been stellar over the 6-kilometer distance.
Sophomore
Brynn Crane continues to set the pace for Bismarck State. She led the Mystics in 24th place at the final regular-season meet, turning in her fastest performance of the autumn at 24:23.0. Right on her heels is a determined young core, starting with freshman
Sundriana Shane, who secured 33rd place with a time of 25:33.7, running a staggering 1 minute and 34 seconds faster than her September baseline.
Sophomore
Macy Crane, finished just one spot behind in 34th place with a strong time of 25:37.4. Rounding out the lineup is sophomore
Rutendo Masangwi, who showed the most dramatic growth on the team by cutting 2 minutes and 20 seconds off her prior course time to finish in 29:08.8.
Championship Schedule
The conference meet at Amend Park begins Friday morning, with the men's 8k beginning at 11:30 a.m. CT, followed by the women's 6k at 12:30 p.m. CT.
Fans can follow the action and track the final postseason push through the
Bismarck State Men's Cross Country Schedule and the
Bismarck State Women's Cross Country Schedule pages for live results and post-race updates.
Each of the top 15 women and top 15 men will receive an All-Conference plaque that will be presented at the awards ceremony.
The winning team for each gender will be awarded a plaque at the awards ceremony following the conclusion of the meet. In the case of a tie, there will be a co-champion.
The first-place team champion on the women's and men's side will both earn the conference's automatic bids to the NAIA National Championships on Friday, Nov. 20, at the Fort Vancouver Historic Site in Vancouver, Wash.
There will be a selection show on Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 4 p.m. CT to determine the at-large bid teams and individual national qualifiers to the NAIA cross country national meets. You can view the selection show at
naia.org/sports/shows.
Be sure to visit BSCMystics.com and download the MysticNation app to continue to stay up to date with everything going on in Mystic Athletics.
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