“We have one of the best schedules in the region,” said U-Mary Head Coach Mike Thorson. “How many athletes can say they went to San Francisco to compete against the nation’s best? Our student-athletes get to compete against top competition several times each year.

“Last year we went to the USATF national cross country meet in Rochester, NY, but the national meet isn’t until December this year. At the national, we competed against professional runners from Nike and other teams. Despite the high level of competition, it was a great experience for our runners. We’ll see some of the same competitors at the regional, but the level of competition at the regional is more of our caliber.”

The Marauders will bring eight members of the men’s and women’s teams to the regional championship. Headlining the group is senior Tiffany Czarnomska. A native of Riverton, WY, Czarnomska won the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference women’s cross country title this fall and led the women’s team to a second place finish.

Sophomore Hannah Moen (Galesburg, ND), who finished fourth in the NSIC meet, and junior Ivy Roe (Kindred, ND), who placed fifth, will also compete at the regional. Other members of the women’s team participating includes juniors Kristen Frohlich (Monroe, UT), Karolyn Kohl (Froid, MT), and Amanda Reinbold (Timber Lake, SD), and freshman Brandee DeVine (Bonney Lake, WA). Kurt Rettig, captain of the men’s team and a junior from Medina, ND, placed eighth in the NSIC conference meet and represents the U-Mary men at the USATF meet.

“The USATF events are a great substitute for our temporary loss of national meets,” said Thorson. “We can’t compete in national meets until we finish our provisional membership status with the NCAA,” said Thorson. “Even then, only about five per cent of athletes qualify for the NCAA championships. In reality, more of our athletes are receiving the opportunity to compete against the best runners in the nation right now due to our provisional status than if we could compete in the NCAAs. We’re dedicated to providing our athletes great opportunities. Our team had a great experience in New York last year. The regional meet should be another great experience for our cross country team.”