Como Park Golf Course will once again host some of best distance runners in the state of Minnesota as the MIAC Men's Cross Country Championship takes place on October 28, 2006 at 2:00pm. Eleven teams will take to the eight kilometer course with the goal of raising the MIAC Championship plaque in triumph. 2005 MIAC Champion Hamline will be the team to beat again in 2006. The Pipers return eight of their top nine runners from a season ago and are currently ranked fifth in the nation. Led by three talented juniors, Saint John's will challenge Hamline for the Championship. Saint John's is ranked 13th nationally in the USTFCCCA poll. Three strong junior runners also lead a Carleton team that will contend for the top spot. Macalester and St. Olaf both feature talented senior runners who intend on leading their teams to upper division finishes in 2006. St. Thomas and Bethel are led by talented underclassmen who could challenge the rest of the conference for years to come. Concordia and Gustavus will both look to improve on last season's finish and move up in the MIAC standings. Saint Mary's and Augsburg will take young and talented but inexperienced runners to this season's championship.

Even though the top three individuals from last season's MIAC Men's Cross Country Championship have graduated, there is still an abundance of talent entering this year's race. Of the top 15 runners from 2005, ten return in 2006 to lead the battle for the MIAC title. Five of those returnees come from reigning team champion Hamline. Led by Travis Bristow (4th in 2005), the Pipers also return Brandon Gleason (7th), Tony Klappa (9th), Dan Steinbrecher (10th) and Chris Lutz (14th). Other returning All-Conference runners include: Carleton's John Nowinski (5th in 2005), St. Olaf's Tony Hoff (6th), Macalester's Dylan Keith (8th), Carleton's Joe Sepe (12th), and Saint John's Mitch Vanbruggen (15th). Saint John's junior Kelly Fermoyle and Bethel freshman Dan Greeno will also contend for a top spot at this year's championship. Fermoyle was twice MIAC Athlete of the Week this fall (Sept. 12 and Oct. 3) and Greeno earned the honor on October 17.

| AUG | BU | CAR | CON | GAC | HU | MAC | SJU | SMU | STO | UST |

Augsburg College
Head Coach:	Dennis Barker (13th season)
2005 Finish:	11th at MIAC Championship
Key Runners:	Brent Haglund (Fr., Fridley, Minn.) Micah Lenthe (Sr., Fergus Falls, Minn.) Shane Wyborny (Fr., Detroit Lakes, Minn.) Chris Scribner (Fr., New York, N.Y./Port Townsen) Ben Hoffmann (Fr., Ham Lake, Minn./Blaine)
Preview:	Augsburg's men's cross country team features a young roster, but has shown continual improvement throughout the 2006 season, and will aim for improvement from last year's finish at the MIAC championships. The Auggies have been led this season by newcomer Brent Haglund (Fr., Fridley, Minn.), who has been the team's top finisher in every race. His best 8K time this season was a 26:21.77 effort at the Wisconsin-Eau Claire Invitational on Sept. 29, where he finished 16th overall. He has had sub-28-minute times in each of his four 8K races this season. His best individual finish was a second-place effort (27:30.0) at the Wisconsin-Superior Fall Freeze on Oct. 14. The lone senior -- and lone returner -- on the men's roster, Micah Lenthe (Sr., Fergus Falls, Minn.), has been a consistent No. 2 runner for the Auggies this season. Hie best time this season was a 27:29.48 at the Wisconsin-Eau Claire meet. Newcomers Shane Wyborny (Fr., Detroit Lakes, Minn.), Chris Scribner (Fr., New York, N.Y./Port Townsen HS) and Ben Hoffmann (Fr., Ham Lake, Minn./Blaine HS) have shown steady improvement throughout the season, with times in the 28- and 29-minute ranges in recent races. Scribner posted a season-best 28:05.1 at the Wisconsin-Superior meet, while Wyborny's best time was a 28:15.47, and Hoffmann's best time was a 29:26.41. Other newcomers to the Auggie roster include: Jeremy Anderson (Jr., Thief River Falls, Minn.), a member of Augsburg's wrestling team; Victor Sanchez (Fr., Minneapolis, Minn./Southwest HS) and Zach Sommer (Fr., Blaine, Minn.).

Bethel University
Head Coach:	Jim Timp (10th season)
2005 Finish:	7th place at MIAC Championships
Key Runners:	Josh Tschetter (Sr., Harrisburg, S.D./O’Gorman) Noel Stringham (Sr., Lincoln, Neb.) Carl Gladistch (So., Bloomer, Wis.) Tyler Hinrichs (So., Clara City, Minn./MACRAY) Brian Anderson (So., Andover, Minn.) Dan Greeno (Fr., St. Michael, Minn.)
Preview:	The 2006 cross country season looks to build upon the foundation that began last year with the combining of the men’s and women’s programs under head coach Jim Timp. Noticeably absent from the coaching staff this year is long time assistant Dan Opitz. Taking over assistant duties this year is Christian Johnson, who has been the assistant track coach overseeing the sprints and hurdles and now is expanding his horizons with the distance program. There is good depth and talent returning on both squads along with outstanding leadership. Senior Josh Tschetter returns and will look to lead as captain for the men’s squad. Other runners that will be important team contributors this year include: senior Noel Stringham; juniors Erik Bostrom, Peter Caldwell, and Josh Nelson; sophomores Brian Anderson, Carl Gladitsch, Jordan Groh, Tyler Hinrichs, and Steve Strom. Gladitsch was the top freshman at the MIAC meet last year and will also figure prominently in the conference meet again this year. There are also a number of outstanding freshman on board to round out the team including Dan Greeno of St. Michael-Albertville, who was one of the top high school runners in Minnesota last year. With this talent and depth, the men’s squad is seeking a top five finish at the MIAC, but more importantly to again qualify runners for national meet competition.

Carleton College
Head Coach:	Bill Terriquez (24th season)
2005 Finish:	2nd at MIAC Championship
Key Runners:	John Nowinski (Jr./Black River Falls, Wis./Black River Falls) Joe Sepe (Jr./Fargo, N.D./South) Quentin Kennedy (Jr./Chariton, Iowa/Chariton) Meeks Brucker (So./Elkins Park, Pa./Cheltenham Township)
Preview:	The Carleton College men’s cross country team, last year’s MIAC Championships runners-up, brings a deep and experienced team to the 2006 MIAC Cross Country Championships. The Knights have had strong showing this fall, winning the St. Olaf Invitational and performing well in their other meets. They feature such runners as John Nowinski (Jr./Black River Falls, Wis./Black River Falls), who placed fifth last year at the conference meet, and Joe Sepe (Jr./Fargo, N.D./South), who placed 12th who are returning All-MIAC runners. In addition to these two runners, the team also gets strength from the depth, with ten runners finishing with one minute of each other at the UW-Oshkosh Invitational, and the potential to place ten runners within the top 30 at the championships, according to head coach Bill Terriquez. The Knights also have Quentin Kennedy (Jr./Chariton, Iowa/Chariton), who led the charge for the Knights in their last two races and placed 27th at last year’s conference championship. Charlie Gamble (Fy./San Diego/La Jolla), and Meeks Brucker (So./Elkins Park, Pa./Cheltenham Township), who placed 29th at the 2005 conference meet, are younger runners who have made consistent appearances in the top seven. Rounding out the top ten for Carleton are Mark Felice (Jr./Roseville, Minn./Roseville Area), Andrew Jahn (Jr./Wayzata, Minn./Wayzata), Ryan Martinez (Jr./Bend, Ore./Mountain View), Eamon Monaghan (Jr./Wilmette, Ill./New Trier) and Reuben Woodruff (Sr./Cutler, Ind./Carroll). All of those runners placed in the top 60 a year ago, with Monaghan’s 36th-place finish being the best. Although the Knights will be facing tough competition from Hamline, who has preformed strongly this year, and St. John’s, who has historically preformed well at the conference meet, the winner of this year’s MIAC Championships is still up in the air. “Unlike many sports the conference is determined by one race, and you have to be on that particular day,” Terriquez said. Carleton has finished in the top two for the last five years and has won three conference titles in 23 seasons under Terriquez. This will be Terriquez’s last year heading the Knights and although he believes it would be nice to win the MIAC Championships, he hopes that everyone gives their best for this meet.

Concordia College
Head Coach:	Garrick Larson (10th season)
2005 Finish:	9th at MIAC Championship
Key Runners:	Matt Putratz (Jr., Mazeppa, Minn./Zumbrota-Mazeppa) Dan Bye (Sr., Mankato, Minn./Mankato Loyola)
Preview:	The Concordia men’s cross country team will be hoping to peak at just the right time as they prepare for the 2006 MIAC Men’s Cross Country Championship Meet. The Cobbers have steadily improved throughout the season and will be looking to improve on last year’s ninth-place finish at the meet. Leading the way for the Cobbers will be junior Matt Putratz (Mazeppa, Minn./Zumbrota-Mazeppa HS). He has been the top Concordia finisher in all five meets in 2006 and is coming off a second-place finish at the Concordia/Jamestown dual meet. Last year was a breakout season for Putratz as he became the team’s No.1 runner from the start of the season and carried that moniker throughout the entire year. He finished 34th at last year’s conference meet and will be looking to better that finish by a far margin. The next four runners for the Cobbers have traded places throughout the season. Senior Dan Bye (Mankato, Minn./Mankato Loyola HS) is rounding into form and looks to be the teams No. 2 runner. Bye is coming off his best meet of the year where he placed third at the Concordia/Jamestown dual meet. He also turned in solid performances at the Montana State Invitational and the Roy Griak Invite. Brandon Huether (So., Lisbon, N.D.) has been consistently finishing as the team’s No. 2 or No. 3 runner. After Bye and Huether, head coach Garrick Larson will have several runners compete for the next three spots. Included in the top five finishers for Concordia should be Mike Reponen (Fr., Baxter, Minn./Brainerd HS), Dustin Weege (Jr., Buffalo, Minn.), Alex Berg (So., Fargo, N.D./Oak Grove HS) and Isaac Ydstie (Fr., North Mankato, Minn./Mankato West HS).

Gustavus Adolphus College
Head Coach:	Jed Freiedrich (3rd season)
2005 Finish:	8th at MIAC Championship
Key Runners:	Dan Foley (So., Minneapolis, Minn.) Alex Zupan (Sr., Monona, Wis.) Chris deLaubenfels (Jr., Mount Vernon, Iowa)
Preview:	The Gustavus men’s cross country team has its sights set on improving its eighth place finish from a year ago. The team will be led by sophomore Dan Foley who has been the top Gustie finisher in all five meets this season. Foley has improved his times significantly from a year ago and hopes to make a significant leap at the conference meet where he placed 66th. Joining Foley on the conference squad will be senior Alex Zupan, junior Chris deLaubenfels, freshman John Kennedy, sophomore John Leaf, junior Kyle Carlson, and freshman Mark Hartman. Zupan will be competing in his fourth consecutive conference meet. He earned all-conference honors with an 11th place finish in 2004 and he received honorable mention honorable mention recognition last year with a 22nd place finish. John Leaf also has experience at the conference meet as he placed 80th last year as a freshman and Chris deLaubenfels crossed the finish line in the 141st position. Coach Jed Friedrich is hoping that the four returning veterans can mix with his two talented freshmen to boost the Gusties into an upper division finish in 2006.

Hamline University
Head Coach:	Paul Schmaedeke (19th season)
2005 Finish:	1st at MIAC Championships
Key Runners:	Travis Bristow (Sr., Pine River, Minn./Pine River-Backus) Brandon Gleason (Jr., Mantorville, Minn. /Kasson-Mantorville) Tony Klappa (Sr., Hopkins, Minn.) Chris Lutz (Sr., Pine City, Minn.) Dan Steinbrecher (Jr., Hinckley, Minn./Hinckley-Finlayson) Chris Yotter (Sr., Annandale, Minn.)
Preview:	The Pipers will defend last season’s conference championship, returning eight of their top nine runners from a team that won the MIAC title by 27 places a season ago. Five all-conference first team performers in the 2005 MIAC Championships highlight the roster. Four of those runners finished in the top 10 last season. Senior Travis Bristow (Pine River, Minn.), who finished fourth in last season’s race, has had an outstanding season leading up to the championships. He finished 10th at the Roy Griak Invitational – the highest placing by an MIAC runner in the field – as well as took first in the 4-kilometer race at the Dan Huston Invitational at Wartburg College. In both instances, he was named MIAC Men’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week. Brandon Gleason, Tony Klappa, Dan Steinbrecher, and Chris Lutz also earned All-MIAC accolades for the Pipers, who in 2005, won their first men’s cross country title since 1977 and first title in any sport at Hamline since 1988. Hamline enters the championship as the fifth ranked team in the country as stated by the latest USTFCCCA poll.

Macalester College
Head Coach:	Matt Haugen (4th season)
2005 Finish:	4th at MIAC Championships
Key Runners:	Dylan Keith (Sr., Soldiers Grove, Wis. / North Crawford) David Augustson (Sr., Sheboygan, Wis. / North)
Preview:	Macalester has placed fourth at each of the last three MIAC championship meets and appears capable of another upper division performance, perhaps even that elusive top-three finish. Dylan Keith (Sr., Soldiers Grove, Wis. / North Crawford) has been having an excellent senior campaign and after placing eighth in this race a year ago, is one of the top challengers for top individual honors this year. Keith was seventh among Division III runners and third among MIAC harriers at the big Jim Drews Invitational while posting the third-fastest 8K time in the program’s history at 25:22. He took fifth at the St. Olaf Invitational in mid-September to earn MIAC athlete of the week honors and was seventh out of 330 at the Loyola Lakefront Invitational in Chicago. When Keith took a weekend off, teammate David Augustson took over as the lead runner at St. Olaf’s Pre-Region Meet with a 13th-place finish. Augustson just missed all-conference status last fall when he placed 16th before taking 33rd at regionals. Last spring he was an NCAA 1500-meter provisional qualifier with a 3:54 time. The Scots have had solid depth this year and will be looking for a pack finish from Matt Wegmann (Jr., North Oaks, Minn. / Mounds View), Tim Burns (So., Neenah, Wis.) and Kyle Braam (Jr., Burnsville, Minn.).

Saint John's University
Head Coach:	Tim Miles (28th season)
2005 Finish:	5th at MIAC Championships
Key Runners:	Kelly Fermoyle (Jr., Mendota Heights, Minn./Henry Sibley) Mitch VanBruggen (Jr., Buffalo, Minn./Buffalo) Chris Erichsen (Jr., Spring Valley, Minn./Kingsland) Zach Hunter (So., Billings, Mont./Billings) Kyle Triggs (Sr., Edina, Minn./St. Thomas Academy)
Preview:	The Johnnies opened the 2006 season with two wins after claiming their own invitational on Sept. 8 and then finishing first out of 15 teams at the Wis.-Eau Claire Invitational on Sept. 29. More recently, SJU finished a strong ninth out of 31 teams at the Wis.-La Crosse Invitational on Oct. 14. Currently ranked #13 in the latest USTFCCCA poll, Saint John’s will look to improve upon its fifth-place finish at the MIAC Championships last season. The Johnnies will be led by five strong runners in 2006. Junior Kelly Fermoyle is a two-time MIAC men’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week this fall, Fermoyle won the Saint John’s Invitational (Sept. 8) with a time of 25:59 and finished second at the Wis.-Eau Claire Invitational (Sept. 29) with a time of 25:42. Fermoyle will look to improve upon his 29th place (27:32) showing at the 2005 MIAC Championships. Junior Mitch VanBruggen finished second overall at the Saint John’s Invitational (Sept. 8) and 11th overall at the Wis.-Eau Claire Invitational (Sept. 29). VanBruggen led the Johnnies with a 15th place finish (26:46) at the 2005 MIAC Championships. Junior Chris Erichsen finished third (26.:17) at the Saint John’s Invitational on Sept. 8 and sixth overall (26:00) at the Wis.-Eau Claire Invitational on Sept. 29. Erichsen finished 22nd (27:09) at the MIAC Championships last season. Erichsen was a MIAC track and field champion in the one-mile run and 1,500-meter run last season for SJU. Sophomore Zach Hunter finished 10th at the Saint John’s Invitational (Sept. 8) and 19th at the Wis.-Eau Claire Invitational (Sept. 29). Hunter placed 37th (27:43) at the MIAC Championships last year. Senior Kyle Triggs finished 25th at the St. Olaf Invitational on Sept. 16 and 26th at the Wis.-Eau Claire Invitational on Sept. 29. Triggs finished 29th (26:58) at the 2005 MIAC Championships.

Saint Mary's University
Head Coach:	Ward Berndt (2nd season)
2005 Finish:	10th at MIAC Championships
Key Runners:	Steve Adams (So., Roseville, Minn. / Totino-Grace) Andrew Rath (So., Hillsborough, N.J. / Hillsborough) Jerod Baertsch (So., Winona, Minn.)
Preview:	With a year under his belt, Saint Mary's University cross country coach Ward Berndt is feeling a little more relaxed heading into season No. 2. It doesn't hurt that his men's squad is once again young — but experienced and talented. "I'm feeling a bit better at this time of the year than I was last year," admitted Berndt. "Last year was a learning experience — for both myself and my athletes. "I think getting that year working together will really help us out this season." So will the fact that the Cardinal men graduated just one runner. Berndt isn't quite as sure what to expect from his men's team, which includes 10 freshmen and sophomores among his 12-man roster. "We're super-young again this year," Berndt said of his men's team, which placed 10th at the MIAC Championships a year ago. "But we also have a number of guys who have that year of collegiate competition under their belts, so they know what to expect and that experience will benefit them this year. "We're going to need some of these younger guys to step up and take on a more prominent leadership role," continued Berndt. "Last year, with so many young guys, they were a little scared to step into that role. This year, it's their ship — they've got to figure out how to sail it."

St. Olaf College
Head Coach:	Bill Thornton (24 total seasons / 10th consecutive)
2005 Finish:	3rd at MIAC Championships
Key Runners:	Tony Hoff (Sr., Stillwater, Minn./Mahtomedi) Andrew Petz (Sr., Rochester, Minn./Century) David Swanson (Jr., Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie) David Green (So., Wiinetka, Minn./New Trier Township) Cullen O'Neill (So., Northfield, Minn./Northfield)
Preview:	The St. Olaf men return with a younger team after placing third last year. Leading the way will be senior captains Tony Hoff (Stillwater, Minn./Mahtomedi) and Andrew Petz (Rochester, Minn./Century), both of whom ran in the Oles' top five last season. Hoff placed sixth in the MIAC's last year, earning all-conference honors. Junior David Swanson (Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie) returns as one of St. Olaf's top runners, as do sophomores David Green (Wiinetka, Minn./New Trier Township) and Cullen O'Neill (Northfield, Minn./Northfield) who have consistently rounded out the Ole lineup this season.

University of St. Thomas
Head Coach:	Pete Wareham (14th season)
2005 Finish:	6th at MIAC Championships
Key Runners:	Logan O'Grady (So., River Falls, Wis.) Matt Boumeester (So., Oakdale, Minn./Tartan) Rorak Hooten (So., Sioux Falls, S.D./O'Gorman) Kyle Brandon (So., Winona, Minn./Cotter)
Preview:	Led by two seniors, a young St. Thomas team placed sixth in the 2005 conference cross country meet. The Tommies are even younger in 2006, as 13th-year coach Pete Wareham has five sophomores and two freshmen in his top seven. The Tommies have shown gradual improvement this fall and will look to crack the top five at the MIAC race. St. Thomas is coming off a second-place team finish in the 19-team Gettysburg (Pa.) Invite Oct. 14. UST put its Nos. 2-6 finishers within 19 seconds. Sophomore Logan O'Grady placed seventh in a field of 208 finishers with a time of 26:16 for 8,000 meters. O'Grady is looking to continue his impressive time drops from 2005, when he placed 45th at the conference meet as a freshman. Other top runners for UST include sophomores Matt Boumeester, Rorak Hooten and Kyle Brandon, and freshmen Seth Rosvold and George Williams. Last May, Boumeester was MIAC outdoor track runnerup in the 1,500 meters and ran on the winning 4x800 relay.

2005 Team Results
1   Hamline                  32
2   Carleton                 59
3   St. Olaf                 91
4   Macalester              103
5   Saint John's            105
6   St. Thomas              178
7   Bethel                  192
8   Gustavus Adolphus       199
9   Concordia-Moorhead      273
10  Saint Mary's            325
11  Augsburg                Inc.

2005 All-Conference (Top 15 All-Conf.)
1  Sam Hauck        STO     25:50.30
2  Jeff Metzdorff   HU      25:57.95
3  Stephen Harris   CAR     25:58.65
4  Travis Bristow   HU      26:09.90
5  John Nowinski    CAR     26:13.80
6  Tony Hoff        STO     26:17.15
7  Brandon Gleason  HU      26:21.60
8  Dylan Keith      MAC     26:26.50
9  Tony Klappa      HU      26:28.20
10 Dan Steinbrecher HU      26:30.55
11 Roscoe Sopiwnik  MAC     26:36.25
12 Joe Sepe         CAR     26:37.85
13 Adam Williamson  CAR     26:39.25
14 Chris Lutz       HU      26:43.10
15 Mitch Vanbruggen SJU     26:46.65