University of St. Thomas Athletics
Photo by: Christopher Mitchell
Women's Cross Country tabbed for fifth in Summit preseason poll
8/30/2022 12:19:00 PM | Women's Cross Country
Sioux Falls, S.D. - Tommie Women's Cross Country was picked for fifth place out of nine teams in the 2022 Summit League Preseason Poll. League head coaches voted on teams' projected order of finish for the Oct. 29 conference meet.
South Dakota State, North Dakota State, South Dakota, North Dakota and St. Thomas took the top five spots.
New head coach Ashley Lucas takes over the program after a 42-year run by Coach Joe Sweeney. The 2021 Tommie women's runners placed fourth out of nine teams last fall in the Summit championship meet -- the best D-I conference finish thus far by a St. Thomas women's team.
St. Thomas graduated all-conference runners Olivia Moll and Sara Miller but returns all-conference finisher Molly Desotell, who placed 11th out of 75 runners in 22:05, the second freshman women's finisher in the 2021 conference race. In all the Purple return six runners who placed in the top 61 at the Summit championship meet: Desotell; Ava Pankratz (33rd), Christina Bolcer (34th), Morgan Ede (47th), Gwen Helgeson (54th) and Caroline Johnson (61st). Helgeson and Johnson are seniors; Bolcer and Ede are juniors; and Desotell and Pankratz are sophomores.
Desotell and Bolcer were included on a list of 15 Summit Athlete Athletes to Watch.
Lucas' 30-person roster includes five freshmen.
St. Thomas opens its season Friday Sept. 2 at the U of M Oz Memorial race (7 p.m.) at the university golf course in Falcon Heights.
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Click HERE to access The Summit League news release
South Dakota State, North Dakota State, South Dakota, North Dakota and St. Thomas took the top five spots.
New head coach Ashley Lucas takes over the program after a 42-year run by Coach Joe Sweeney. The 2021 Tommie women's runners placed fourth out of nine teams last fall in the Summit championship meet -- the best D-I conference finish thus far by a St. Thomas women's team.
St. Thomas graduated all-conference runners Olivia Moll and Sara Miller but returns all-conference finisher Molly Desotell, who placed 11th out of 75 runners in 22:05, the second freshman women's finisher in the 2021 conference race. In all the Purple return six runners who placed in the top 61 at the Summit championship meet: Desotell; Ava Pankratz (33rd), Christina Bolcer (34th), Morgan Ede (47th), Gwen Helgeson (54th) and Caroline Johnson (61st). Helgeson and Johnson are seniors; Bolcer and Ede are juniors; and Desotell and Pankratz are sophomores.
Desotell and Bolcer were included on a list of 15 Summit Athlete Athletes to Watch.
Lucas' 30-person roster includes five freshmen.
St. Thomas opens its season Friday Sept. 2 at the U of M Oz Memorial race (7 p.m.) at the university golf course in Falcon Heights.
--
Click HERE to access The Summit League news release
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
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