University of St. Thomas Athletics
Friday, November 13
Ames, Iowa
11:00 a.m. CT
at
NCAA Midwest Regional
Photo by: Collin Boyles
11/13/2026 3:05:00 PM | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country
Freshman Anna VanAcker paces women with program record while sophomore Casey Poppler leads the men
AMES, Iowa – Freshman Anna VanAcker capped her first season pacing the St. Thomas women's cross country team with a program record Friday morning at the NCAA Midwest Regional while sophomore Casey Poppler led the men's team for the fifth time this season.
VanAcker placed 57th Friday in 20:42.0 during the 6,000-meter race, besting the previous program record of 20:58.8 set by junior Olivia Pauly, as the highest Tommie finisher at the NCAA meet. She helped the squad take 16th of 35 teams as Pauly took 72nd in 20:50.7, also topping her previous program record time set at the Roy Griak Invitational.
Poppler took 97th for the men in 30:49.4 as the team ran its first 10K of the season. Poppler, senior Max Westerlund who placed 121st in 31:12.1 and sophomore Nate Meyer who took 131st in 31:21.6, all set 10K personal records. The men finished the meet 23rd of 28 teams during its second appearance at the NCAA Midwest Regional.
ST. THOMAS WOMEN'S SCORERS (6K)
Team: 16th of 35 Teams
57. Anna VanAcker (FR) 20:42.0 (Program Record
72. Olivia Pauly (JR) 20:50.7
104. Olivia Goebel (JR) 21:17.1
109. Layla Vennink (SO) 21:22.9
115. Sophie Yetter (JR) 21:26.9
ST. THOMAS MEN'S TOP TIMES (10K)
Team place: 23rd of 28 Teams
97. Casey Poppler (SO) 30:49.4
121. Max Westerlund (SR) 31:12.1
131. Nate Meyer (SO) 31:21.6
147. Ben Stricker (JR) 31:42.9
163. George Edgar (SR) 32:16.8
QUOTABLES
Head Women's Coach Ashley Lucas: "I am super proud of how the women competed today. I thought they raced with confidence and just kept moving up. In one of the deepest regions, getting top 16 is no easy feat and they raced the back half of the race so well to get to that position. I couldn't be more proud and excited to keep building."
Head Men's Coach Pete Wareham: "I think our guys highly dialed in their competitive spirit today in a very challenging meet with several nationally ranked teams. Casey Poppler led the way while improving his placing compared with one year ago at the same meet. Nate Meyer had a very strong race today and improved significantly from last year as well. It was the first NCAA regional meet for four of our guys that raced today including two freshmen. They competed very hard in a tough environment and I am proud of their compete level."
FOLLOW ALONG
For more information on St. Thomas Cross Country, follow along on X (formerly Twitter) at @TommieXCTF. For more information on St. Thomas Men's and Women's Cross Country, follow along on Instagram at @tommiemtfxc and @tommiewxctf. Tommie Athletics is now on TikTok at @TommieSports.
-- St. Thomas Athletics --
VanAcker placed 57th Friday in 20:42.0 during the 6,000-meter race, besting the previous program record of 20:58.8 set by junior Olivia Pauly, as the highest Tommie finisher at the NCAA meet. She helped the squad take 16th of 35 teams as Pauly took 72nd in 20:50.7, also topping her previous program record time set at the Roy Griak Invitational.
Poppler took 97th for the men in 30:49.4 as the team ran its first 10K of the season. Poppler, senior Max Westerlund who placed 121st in 31:12.1 and sophomore Nate Meyer who took 131st in 31:21.6, all set 10K personal records. The men finished the meet 23rd of 28 teams during its second appearance at the NCAA Midwest Regional.
ST. THOMAS WOMEN'S SCORERS (6K)
Team: 16th of 35 Teams
57. Anna VanAcker (FR) 20:42.0 (Program Record
72. Olivia Pauly (JR) 20:50.7
104. Olivia Goebel (JR) 21:17.1
109. Layla Vennink (SO) 21:22.9
115. Sophie Yetter (JR) 21:26.9
ST. THOMAS MEN'S TOP TIMES (10K)
Team place: 23rd of 28 Teams
97. Casey Poppler (SO) 30:49.4
121. Max Westerlund (SR) 31:12.1
131. Nate Meyer (SO) 31:21.6
147. Ben Stricker (JR) 31:42.9
163. George Edgar (SR) 32:16.8
QUOTABLES
Head Women's Coach Ashley Lucas: "I am super proud of how the women competed today. I thought they raced with confidence and just kept moving up. In one of the deepest regions, getting top 16 is no easy feat and they raced the back half of the race so well to get to that position. I couldn't be more proud and excited to keep building."
Head Men's Coach Pete Wareham: "I think our guys highly dialed in their competitive spirit today in a very challenging meet with several nationally ranked teams. Casey Poppler led the way while improving his placing compared with one year ago at the same meet. Nate Meyer had a very strong race today and improved significantly from last year as well. It was the first NCAA regional meet for four of our guys that raced today including two freshmen. They competed very hard in a tough environment and I am proud of their compete level."
FOLLOW ALONG
For more information on St. Thomas Cross Country, follow along on X (formerly Twitter) at @TommieXCTF. For more information on St. Thomas Men's and Women's Cross Country, follow along on Instagram at @tommiemtfxc and @tommiewxctf. Tommie Athletics is now on TikTok at @TommieSports.
-- St. Thomas Athletics --
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
Wednesday, November 11
Wednesday, November 11
Saturday, October 31
Wednesday, October 14
