The University of Minnesota Duluth men's and women's cross country team will run for the first time in 2025 on Friday in Prescott, Wis. at the River Town Invitational. The women's 6k race will get underway at 5:00 p.m., while the men will hit the 8k course at 6:00 p.m. Both races will be held at the Prescott High School Cross Country Course.
AT THE HELM: UMD head cross country coach
Brette Jensen begins her fourth cross country season with the Bulldogs after taking the program over on Dec. 8, 2021. Jensen coached the Bulldog squads to a men's third place finish and women's fourth place in the 2024 NSIC Cross Country Championship, and helped
Franny Seidel to a 12th place finish and All-Region honor in the Division II Central Region Championships. Under Jensen,
Jack Van Kempen was also named the 2024 NSIC's Men Cross Country Outstanding Senior of the Year -- his third-straight year as an All-NSIC First Team honoree (2024, 2023, 2022).
THEY'RE BACK: The Bulldogs return to the River Town Invitational a year after both teams clinched team titles in 2024. While
Jack Van Kempen won the men's side, Bulldog junior returners
Noah Foster,
Nolan Bakken and
Nathan Amundson all scored for UMD last season. Foster claimed third (26:23:30), while Bakken finished in sixth place (27:16:00) and Amundson in 11th (27:39:90). Overall, the Bulldog men finished with 22 points, while River Falls finished in second with a score of 33 points.
On the women's side, then senior
Franny Seidel was UMD's top finisher with a time of 22:43:7 in fourth place. From there, the Bulldogs owned the next seven spots, including current senior
Elizabeth VanLoon in fifth (23:02:40), and current junior
Ellie Hanowski, who rounded out the scoring for UMD with an eighth place finish and time of 23:39:30.
ONES TO WATCH: On the women's side, graduate
Shaelyn Hostager is looking to run her first cross country race as a Bulldog. A native of Dubuque, Iowa who transferred to UMD last fall but only competed in indoor and outdoor track, is both the reigning 5.000 meter and 10,000 meter outdoor track NSIC Conference champion.
On the men's side Foster, a product of Cromwell, Minn., finished 31st overall in the 2024 conference meet and 118th in the NCAA Regional.
Both runners were named 2024 NSIC Runenrs to Watch in August.
