Cross Country News

 

Abbott Earns Women's Cross Country Honors Second Year in a Row - December 6, 2006

For the second season in a row, Finlandia University student-athlete sophomore Kate Abbott (Atlantic Mine, Mich.) has received national women's cross country team honors from the Association of Division III Independents.

Selected for the Honorable Mention All-Independents Team , Abbott made a big impact among this season's runners on the Finlandia cross country team. Abbott is a physical therapy assistant major at Finlandia ; she is a transfer student from Gogebic Community College .

“It's great that Kate is getting some national-level recognition for her hard work this past fall, and also great for the entire women's team who are all working very hard as well,” says first-year head coach Ryan Towles. “We're all looking forward to both Kate's and the team's continuing improvement next season.”

Abbott finished among the top 20 in five of six races this season, including first place finishes at Northland College and Wisconsin Lutheran College .

The Association of Division III Independents consists of 25 Division III independent institutions that have joined together to recognize student-athletes at independent institutions, and to provide exempted postseason championship competition. The Association recognizes outstanding athletic achievements of its student-athletes on a weekly, monthly and annual basis.

For more information about the women's and men's cross country program at Finlandia University, please contact Ryan Towles at 906-487-7287 or ryan.towles@finlandia.edu . Additional information about the Association of Division III Independents is available at http://www.d3independents.org .

Cross Country Team Travels to Wisconsin Lutheran - September, 20, 2006
The cross country team loaded into the 15-passenger vans for another trip to MIlwaukee, Wisconsin, to participate in the Wisconsin Lutheran College Warrior Invitational. The women came away with a strong finish, and the men ran hard but came up short due to some injuries. Overall, the women finished fifth of 14 teams despite missing two regular-season runners. The men finished 11th of 11 teams scoring.

Kate Abbott (Houghton, MI) captured her second first-place finish of the season. She finished the six-kilometer course in 25:50.35. "Kate ran another very tactical race and beat Wisconsin Lutheran's top runner by ten seconds over the last 300 meters on the Warriors' home course," states first-year head coach Ryan Towles. "Her control throughout the race and her kick were both very impressive, and we're looking forward to getting some better competition over the next two weeks when we'll primarily race against Division II programs."

Kristen Koljonen (Mohawk, MI) also ran an impressive race, finishing 24 of 74 runners. Overall, Coach Towles sees a strong improvement on the women's side. "Kristen improved by almost a minute-and-a-half from her time at Concordia on Wisconsin Lutheran's harder course. Unfortunately, Amy Danielson (Centerville, MN) suffered an ankle injury in the race, but still ran a comparable time. Jessica Blake (Houghton, MI) dropped almost a minute since Concordia despite fighting through hip pain all season that has limited her training. Chaslyn Duffek (Houghton, MI) and Kristen Nazak (Farmington Hills, MI) also continue to improve and their competitive spirit is inspiring to the rest of the team. With our full squad, moving up a spot to fourth place would have been very realistic," states Towles.

For the men, junior Justin Nantelle (Crystal Falls, MI) came across the finish line first for the Lions with a time of 36:47.92 in the eight-kilometer race. "The men are running hard, but we were missing Luke Taintor (Silver Bay, MN) due to injury this week which hurt our team score," says Towles "I'm impressed with the way some of our guys are training and racing, but we need to get more consistent in our overall approach in order to take the next step."

The teams will travel to Northern Michigan University on Friday to compete in the UP Championships. Runners leave the starting line at 3:00 pm.

Cross Country Does Well at Concordia (WI) - September 22, 2006

The men's and women's cross country running team traveled to Concordia University - Wisconsin over the weekend to race. With eight teams participating on the women's side, the women' placed 4th and the men finished 7th of seven teams.

"I was really pleased with our women's team result and the athletes are pretty excited about beating four other teams as well," states first-year head coach Ryan Towles. "This meet was just another step in a progression of improvement that I am hoping we will follow all year. Our women's team is exhibiting a good dedication to training that I know will pay off as we hit the second half of our race schedule."

Kate Abbott (Houghton, MI) led the way for the Lions with a time of 25:46 and a sixth place finish. "Kate went out a little easier this week than at UMD and it really paid for her in a second top-ten finish this season. She ran a very smart and controlled race," states Towles. Kristen Koljonen (Mohawk, MI) came in next with a time of 29:40.

The men ran with five runners this race, enough to get a team score. They still came up short though, placing 7th of seven teams. "Having a full five-man men's team for the first time this year was encouraging and it allowed us to score as a team. With some consistent training, the athletes we have running for us should be able to advance as a team to be more competitive," comments Towles.

Luke Taintor (Silver Bay, MN) came in first for the men with a time of 35:16. "Luke took about two minutes off his UMD time, which is a nice drop over a week," says Towles. "He is running very well in workouts and gaining experience on how to race each time we toe the line."

The Lions will have off next weekend. They will travel to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to compete in the Wisconsin Lutheran College Invitational on September 30.

Women’s Cross Country - September 1, 2006
1 Kate Abbott 26:53.4
13 Chaslyn Duffek 31:50.0
17 Kristen Koljonen 32:18.6
18 Maghan Smith 32:26.1
19 Cathy Fisher 32:30.3

Despite a third place finish at the Northland Invitational on Friday, the Finlandia women’s cross country team did well, specifically sophomore Kate Abbott (Houghton, MI).

Of the 20 runners, Abbot was able to finish the six-kilometer race in first place with a time of 26:53.4. “Kate ran a very smart race, just hanging with Soltis from Northland until about three miles,” comments first-year head coach Ryan Towles. “Then she made her move. This is a great confidence booster and a nice way to start the season.”

Sophomore Chaslyn Duffek (Houghton, MI) was the next to come in for the Lions with a time of 31:50.0. The rest of the pack followed right behind. “Our women’s squad ran very well together with only 40 seconds between our second and fifth runners,” says Towles. “With training, if we can move this tight group up in the pack, we could be very competitive.”

UW – Superior finished first as a team (28), followed by Northland College (39) and then Finlandia University (68).

The Lions travel to Duluth next Friday to compete in the University of Minnesota – Duluth Invitational.

New Cross Country Coach Named - August 11, 2006

Ryan Towles has joined the Finlandia University Athletic Department as the new head men’s and women’s cross country running coach, Athletic Director Chris Salani announced today.

“Towles comes to Finlandia with an extensive distance running and assistant coaching career,” says Salani. “I am pleased to welcome him to the Finlandia coaching staff.”

Originally from Pinckney, Michigan, Towles was a varsity letter winner in cross country and track and field at Pinckney High School. From 1996-1999, he attended and ran at Michigan Technological University, earning varsity letters in both sports, and serving as captain for both the cross country and track and field programs.

From 2001-2003, Towles was a volunteer assistant track coach at Pinckney High School. After returning to the Upper Peninsula, in 2003 and 2004 he assisted the coaching staff at Ironwood High School.

Since August 2004, Towles has been an assistant coach for the varsity cross country and track and field programs at Michigan Tech. He will continue to coach at Michigan Tech while taking over the reins as the head cross country coach at Finlandia.

“I’m excited about leading the cross country program at Finlandia, and I’m looking forward to facilitating the development of the current group of Lion runners,” says Towles. “I am also particularly eager to tap into a deep U.P. talent pool for future Finlandia harriers, while also recruiting across the upper Midwest and beyond.”

Towles, a bioengineering graduate from Michigan Tech, also works as a purchasing manager for Rockit Corporation. He and his wife Jennifer reside in Dodgeville, MI.

For additional information about the men’s and women’s cross country program at Finlandia University, please contact Head Cross Country Coach Ryan Towles at 906-487-7287 or ryan.towles@finlandia.edu.