Warriors Wrap Up Regular Season at Platte River Rumble

ASHLAND, Neb. — Midland University's cross country teams were back in action Friday, competing in their final regular-season meet of the year, the Platte River Rumble, in Ashland, Nebraska. The meet featured runners from nine area teams, including Mount Marty University, a fellow member of the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC). The Warriors and Lancers used the event as a preview of the course for next month's conference championships.

Racing in the 6,000-meter event, the Midland women placed seventh, while the Warrior men finished fifth in the 8,000-meter race.

Maddie Bergstrom (22:25.54) and Danika Leuenberger (26:02.93) led the way for the women, finishing 46th and 51st, respectively. Bridget Meier followed close behind, placing 52nd with a time of 26:03.11. Other competitors for Midland included Carly Carstens (56th, 27:17.54), Belinda Jepkemboi (59th, 28:37.39), Judy Chepkorir (60th, 29:20.46) and Delanie Tally (61st, 29:26.95).

On the men's side, Lucas Hjortkjaer paced the Warriors, placing first overall (25:23.6). He was in fifth place at the 5,000-meter mark and took the lead at 7,000 meters, holding off a pack of runners near the front. Koen Steenblok also finished his regular season strong, clocking in at 26:55.2 (24th). Other runners for Midland included Braden Taylor (35th, 27:45.7), Kelvin Korir (49th, 28:55.2), Christian Olsen (52nd, 29:32.6), Preston Penney (58th, 30:54.3) and Jay Stoa III (65th, 32:42.6).

Midland will now turn its attention to postseason competition, starting with the GPAC Championship on Nov. 8 back in Ashland at Mahoney State Park. The Warriors will look to earn a berth to the 2025 NAIA Championships, set for Nov. 21 in Tallahassee, Florida.