Northwestern Cross Country To Compete At Nationals

Cedar Rapids, Iowa — The Northwestern College men’s cross country team, and Northwestern women’s Cross Country Team runners Anna Hiebner and Hunter Koepke are set to compete at the 2020-21 NAIA National Championship in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The Raider ladies will compete in the 5K race on Friday, April 9 at 10:30am, and the Raiders men will hit the 8K course on Friday, April 9 at 11:30am on the Seminole Valley Cross Country Course.

Anna Hiebner has been the Raiders top runner in four of the six races this season. She earned all-conference honors, placing eighth at the 2020 GPAC Championships last fall. Hiebner has three top 10 finishes this season and ran a personal best of 18:34 at the Briar Cliff Invite. She is running in her first NAIA Championship.

Hunter Koepke has been among the Raiders top three runners in every meet this season. She was the team’s top finisher last time out, at the Mustangs Preview, where she ran a personal best 18:54. Koepke is a two-time national qualifier and earned all-conference recognition for the second time, placing 11th at the GPAC Championship. She placed 183rd out 345 runners at last year’s NAIA event with a time of 19:59.

The Northwestern men were ranked 17th in the final coaches’ poll released by the NAIA on March 30 and finished among the top four teams in four of the five meets last fall.

Nick Bernhagen has been the team’s fifth or sixth runner in all four meets he competed in. Bernhagen ran a personal best (26:33) at the Mount Marty Invite last fall and is running in his second NAIA Championship (also in 2017).

Riley Chartier ran a personal best 27:36 at the Morningside Invite, the second race held last fall. Chartier is making his first national championship appearance.

Levi Cross earned all-conference honors after finishing 10th at the GPAC Championship with a season-best 8K time of 26:55. Cross was the team’s No.4 or No.3 runner in three meets last fall is running in his first national championship.

Dylan Hendricks is competing at nationals for the third time (qualified as part of the 2017 team and as an individual in 2018). Hendricks was the team’s top runner in all five meets he competed in; earned all-conference honors for the second time where he placed fifth overall. Season-best time of 25:44 at Morningside.

Joshua Van Dusseldorp is the teams No.5 runner in one meet and the seventh runner at the GPAC; ran a career-best time of 26:31 at Mount Marty Invite and is competing at nationals for the first time.

Jakob Van Der Werff is among the teams top three runners in four races last fall; earned all-conference honors (9th place) at GPAC Championship; ran a personal best at the Briar Cliff Invite and making his first appearance at nationals.

Ian Wiersma competed in one race last fall and is running at nationals for the first time

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