Grinnell College's Henry Reich '09 has been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Men's Track and Field/Cross Country First Team.

Reich was one of 15 athletes named to the elite team in the College Division. He is the third Pioneer athlete to earn Academic All-America honors for Track and Field/Cross Country, but the first to be voted to the First Team.

Reich, a physics/mathematics major from Mahtomedi, Minn., has three conference titles to his credit this school year, winning the Midwest Conference individual cross country crown in 2008 (25 minutes, 51 seconds) and MWC indoor titles in the 3000- and 5000-meter races (8:46.61 and 15:09.55). He led Grinnell to just the third perfect cross country score in league history last fall (1 through 5 finish) and guided the Pioneers to the NCAA National Meet.

The ESPN The Magazine Academic Team is co-sponsored by CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America).

The Pioneers, who won their 12th Midwest Conference title in a row last fall and qualified for the national meet, had a team GPA of 3.650. Both the Grinnell men's and women's squads won the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team Awards for the 2008 season. A total of 103 men's teams and 156 women's squads received the honor.
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Grinnell College cross country runners Henry Reich '09 and Sam Calisch '10 have been named to the NCAA Division III Men's All-Academic Team released by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

Both played key roles in helping the Pioneers win their 12th consecutive Midwest Conference title. Reich won the individual title and Calisch was second as Grinnell had the top five finishers, making the Pioneers just the third team in league history to post a perfect score of 15.

Both were also all-region performers and helped Grinnell qualify for the NCAA Division III National Meet. Reich is majoring in physics and mathematics, while Calisch is a mathematics major.
D-III All-Academic Team

Will and Evelyn Freeman, who have enjoyed an abundance of success as Grinnell College's cross country and track and field coaches, are featured in an article that appears in the January/February issue of Running Times magazine.

The article explains how the Freemans helped build the programs into conference and national contenders upon their arrival at the College in 1980, as well as thoughts on their roles as coaches and mentors to student-athletes.
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Henry Reich '09 (pictured) and Becky Bessinger '09 were recently named the Most Valuable Runners for the 2008 Grinnell College men's and women's cross country teams, respectively.

Other women winning awards were Elizabeth Jach '09 (Pioneer Award for outstanding performance, high quality of character and notable leadership), Leah Russell '11 (Most Improved Runner) and Sachi Graber '12 (Rookie Award).

Other awards on the men's side went to Sam Calisch '10 (Most Improved Runner) and Nick Sparr '09 (Purple Roo Award for outstanding performance, high quality of character and notable leadership).

Grinnell College's Henry Reich '09 has won the prestigious Roy W. LeClere Award winner for academic excellence.

The award goes to the Midwest Conference male student-athlete who had the highest grade point average during his junior year while lettering in at least two league sports. It is named for Roy W. LeClere, a collegiate sports enthusiast whose passion for the MWC led friends and co-workers to originally sponsor the award as a memorial in his honor.

Reich, a physics and mathematics major, is the first Grinnell student-athlete to win the award since Bradley Rudhoff earned it for the 2000-01 school year.

Reich has enjoyed stellar cross country and track careers at Grinnell. He is a four-time all-conference performer in cross country while leading the Pioneers to team titles all four years. Also an Academic All-American and Academic All-Conference selection, Reich won the individual Midwest Conference cross country title this season and helped guide the Pioneers to a spot in the NCAA Division III National Meet. He has posted the sixth-best time in Grinnell history.

Reich's accomplishments don't stop there, as he's also an All-Conference and Academic All-Conference runner for the Pioneers' track and field team.
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The Grinnell College men's cross country team finished its stellar 2008 campaign on a solid note Saturday morning by placing 26th at the NCAA Division III National Meet in Hanover, Ind.

The Pioneers had 577 points and finished higher than their pre-national meet ranking of 30th. Grinnell was paced by Henry Reich '09, who was 56th place in 25:16.16 over the 8 kilometer course. David Montgomery '10 was 80th in 25:39.73, Sam Calisch '10 placed 115th in 25:57.02, Ethan Heppner '11 took 160th in 26:20.03 and Noah DeLong '11 was 185th in 26:31.89. Rounding out Grinnell's lineup were Nick Sparr '09, who was 195th in 26:36.93, and Alex Reich '11, who was 201st in 26:40.72.

The individual champ was Peter Kosgei of Hamilton, who ran the course in 24:22.03, while Cortland State won the team crown with 80 points.

"I think we ran pretty well and had some fast times," said Grinnell coach Will Freeman. "It is so, so competitive here. But the guys made it and improved on their ranking, so that's great. Plus we return five of our seven guys next year, so I feel good about that."
2008 NCAA Division III National Meet Results

The Grinnell College men's cross country team will look to close its already-successful 2008 campaign on a high note as the Pioneers participate in the NCAA Division III National Meet hosted by Hanover College in Hanover, Ind., on Saturday. The men's race is slated for 10 a.m. Grinnell time.

The Pioneers advanced to the meet as an at-large selection after finishing fourth at last Saturday's Central Region Meet at Oakland Acres Golf Course. Four Pioneers earned all-region recognition by finishing in the top 35 at the meet. They were Henry Reich '09 (20th place), Sam Calisch '10 (27th), David Montgomery '10 (33rd) and Noah DeLong '11 (34th). Rounding out the team are Alex Reich '11, Ethan Heppner '11 and Nick Sparr '09. Mike Horrell '09 is serving as the team's alternate.

Grinnell coach Will Freeman anticipated a successful season already this past summer. "We had high expectations coming in," he said. "The primary players who were back had made a real commitment to training in the summer. That's usually the indicator that they're serious."

The early season consisted of a trip to the University of Kansas for a meet before the Pioneers hosted the annual Les Duke Invitational. "A lot of teams that were coming for the regional meet came down to the Les Duke to try out the course," Freeman said. "It's the largest field we ever had and for us to finish fourth out of 30-some schools was encouraging."

Also encouraging was the team's trip to Stanford University in California for a meet. "That was a great chance to run against some D-I schools," said Freeman. "Even though it didn't do us any favors in terms of criteria for selection (to the NCAA Division III National Meet), it was a great trip. Then we went to the Oshkosh (Wis.) meet and saw some great D-III competition. This was a good chance to see where we were at and set us up well for conference."

Grinnell made history of sorts at the Midwest Conference Meet as the Pioneers posted a perfect score of 15. That had been done only twice before, both times in the 1970s by Carleton College.

"I don't know if everyone understands how impressive it is to get a perfect score," said Freeman. "In all my years, I've never seen it. It's a very rare thing and will certainly be a career highlight for me."

That led into the Central Region Meet. "We ran in pretty much the same conditions as we did at the Les Duke, only our times on average were a minute faster," said Freeman. "That shows how far these guys have progressed. It's encouraging."

As for the national meet, Freeman has some goals. "It's hard to say exactly where we'll finish since we don't run against a lot of these schools, but logically you'd say you'd be happy with the top 25," he explained. "I'd personally love to see the top 20, and anything better than that is icing on the cake."

After waiting 24 hours to learn its fate, the news was good for the Grinnell College men's cross country team.

The Pioneers were chosen as an at-large qualifier for the 2008 NCAA Division III National Meet on Sunday, a day after placing fourth at the Central Region Meet at Oakland Acres Golf Course. The national meet is Nov. 22 at Hanover, Ind.

The top two Central Region teams, Nebraska Wesleyan and St. John's (Minn.), earned automatic NCAA berths. Joining Grinnell as an at-large qualifier from the Central Region was St. Olaf (Minn.).
NCAA Division III National Meet Information

Four Grinnell College men's cross country runners earned all-region status as the Pioneers finished fourth as a team at the 26-team NCAA Central Region Meet Saturday at Oakland Acres Golf Course outside of Grinnell.

The top two teams qualify for the national meet, with the rest of the NCAA field being made up of at-large qualifiers. Grinnell will learn if it is an at-large qualifier Sunday.

Grinnell finished with 167 points, 19 behind third-place St. Olaf. Nebraska Wesleyan won the meet with 130 while St. John's placed second with 139.

Grinnell was paced by Henry Reich '09 (upper left), who was 20th in the 8 kilometer race in 26:12. Others earning all-region honors for the Pioneers were Sam Calisch '10 (upper right), who was 27th in 26:30, David Montgomery '10 (lower left), who was 33rd in 26:39.9 and Noah DeLong '11 (lower right), who was 34th in 26:40.2. The Pioneers fifth scorer was Alex Reich '11, who was 53rd in 26:58.6.

The individual champ was Luther's David McKay, who finished in 25:29.2. Bethel's Marie Borner was the champ of the women's 6 kilometer race in 21:28.1. Wartburg and Luther earned the women's automatic team berths to the NCAA meet by finishing first and second, respectively, with 92 and 95 points. Grinnell was 17th with 468.

Leading the Pioneers was Becky Bessinger '09, who was 67th in 24:28.4. Other scorers for the Pioneers were Sachi Graber '12 (85th in 24:52.6), Leah Russell '11 (95th in 25:09.9), Hannah Colter '12 (105th in 25:22) and Elizabeth Jach '09 (116th in 25:38.7).

The national meet is slated for Nov. 22 in Hanover, Ind.
Men's Results
Women's Results

Grinnell College will host the NCAA Division III Central Region Meet Saturday at Oakland Acres Golf Course. The men's event is at 11 a.m. and the women's race follows at noon.

The top two teams automatically qualify for the NCAA Meet, as do the top seven individuals from non-qualifying teams. Here is a breakdown of the meet:

MEN'S TEAM RACE
The men's team race will be a barn-burner, as four teams were ranked between 26th and 33rd prior to their respective conference meets.

Regional host Grinnell posted a perfect score of 15 en route to winning the Midwest Conference title, the Pioneers' 12th league crown in a row. The Pioneers were rated 33rd prior to their conference meet.

Four teams battled to within 21 points at the MIAC meet, with St. Olaf emerging as the winner with 75 points. Hamline won a close battle for second with 87 points and was followed by St. Thomas with 93 and Bethel with 96. St. Thomas entered the meet at the No. 26 spot nationally and St. Olaf was 27th.

Like the MIAC, the IIAC title chase was also close with Luther nipping Loras by a 48-59 margin. Coe was a close third with 67 points and was followed by Simpson at 81.

Martin Luther enters the regional meet as the UMAC champion, having beaten Northwestern by a 46-61 margin. St. Scholastica took third with 73 points.

Nebraska Wesleyan is the lone GPAC entry in the regional, but is expected to make some noise after being ranked 30th earlier this month.

MEN'S INDIVIDUAL RACE
Grinnell's perfect score at the Midwest Conference meet was led by Henry Reich, who claimed top individual honors. Rounding out the top five for the Pioneers were Sam Calisch, Noah DeLong, David Montgomery, and Nick Sparr. All five were within 31 seconds of each other.

Duboul Ruon of St. Olaf was the MIAC individual champion, defeating Martin Mudry of Macalester by 4 seconds. Rounding out the top five were Brandon Gleason of Hamline, Dan Greeno of Bethel and Dan Foley of Gustavus Adolphus. Greeno was fourth at last year's regional meet.

Brian Chenoweth of Wartburg beat David McKay of Luther by 7 seconds to take top honors at the IIAC meet. Rounding out the top five were John Fry of Loras, Brad O'Neill of Coe and Eric Osterhaus of Simpson. McKay was fifth at last year's regional meet.

Nathan Loersch of Martin Luther won the UMAC title by 7 seconds over Daniel Bare of North Central. Rounding out the top five were Jake Turman of St. Scholastica, Seth Brickley of Crown and Joel Groten of Northwestern.

Logan Watley has been Nebraska Wesleyan's top runner this season.

WOMEN'S TEAM RACE
Wartburg entered the IIAC meet ranked third in the nation, and showed the lofty standing was well-deserved as the Knights easily out-distanced runner-up Luther 28-49. Luther entered the meet ranked 30th. Loras was third with 90 points.

The MIAC meet was all it was cracked up to be, as the top three teams finished within five points of each other. St. Thomas eked out the team title with 66 points and was followed by Bethel and Carleton with 68 and 71 points, respectively. St. Thomas entered the meet ranked 14th, Bethel was 28th and Carleton 11th. Fourth-place St. Olaf was ranked 27th.

Grinnell had its string of Midwest Conference titles broken, but still managed a tie for third with St. Norbert College. Each team had 75 points.

St. Scholastica had little trouble in the UMAC meet, winning by a 23-72 margin over runner-up Northwestern. Minnesota Morris was third with 86.

Nebraska Wesleyan is the only GPAC entry in the regional, but is expected to fare well after being ranked 21st earlier this month.

WOMEN'S INDIVIDUAL RACE
Mary Bridget Corken of Loras won the IIAC individual crown, defeating runner-up Anna Kraayenbrink of Wartburg by 10 seconds. Janet Dobyns of Luther was third, followed by Rachelle Hawkins of Cornell and Emily VanOosbree of Wartburg. Dobyns won last year's regional title.

Marie Borner of Bethel cruised to the MIAC title as she defeated teammate and runner-up Alex Potter by 45 seconds. Simone Childs-Walker of Carleton was third, followed by Katie Theisen of St. Thomas and Hailey Brenden of Concordia. Borner was second at last year's regional meet and Theisen placed fourth.

Leah Russell and Maja Gamble led Grinnell at the Midwest Conference meet, placing 10th and 12th, respectively. Becky Bessinger has also been a strong runner for the Pioneers.

Katelyn Meger led a 1-3 sweep for St. Scholastica at the UMAC meet, as she defeated teammate Jessie Lovering by nearly a minute. Third went to Tara Connelly, while Mel Olson of Northwestern and Elizabeth Haasch of Martin Luther rounded out the top five.

Jackie Spelts has been Nebraska Wesleyan's top runner this season.

The Grinnell College men's cross country moved from 33rd to 28th this week in the NCAA Division III rankings compiled by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

The Pioneers received a total of 57 voting points. The top-ranked team is Cortland State, followed by North Central and Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

One word can describe the performance of the Grinnell College men's cross country team as the Pioneers raced to their 12th consecutive Midwest Conference title Saturday at Lake Storey Park in Galesburg, Ill.

That word is "perfection."

The Pioneers recorded a perfect score of 15, marking just the third time in league history a squad has accomplished such a feat. Carleton did it in 1974 and 1976. Henry Reich '09 raced his way to the individual title in 25:51, just a second off the course record.

Also contributing to the perfect score were runner-up Sam Calisch '10 (25:59), third-place runner Noah DeLong '11 (26:05), fourth-place finisher David Montgomery '10 (26:12) and fifth-place finisher Nick Sparr '09 (26:22). The Pioneers had three other runners earn all-conference honors by finishing in the top 20 - Alex Reich '11 (10th in 26:40), Ethan Heppner '11 (12th in 26:45) and Mike Horrell '09 (17th in 27:10).

"The guys are coming around nicely," said Grinnell coach Will Freeman, who was named the MWC Men's Coach of the Year. "That's showing in workouts and meets. They're a pretty impressive group - they stepped up and are right on track. Not only is the perfect score impressive, but the fact that there was only a 30-second spread among those guys shows the strength of this group."

Grinnell hosts the NCAA Division III Regional Meet on Nov. 15 at Oakland Acres Golf Course.
MWC Men's Results