Emma Schaefer '23 capped what has already been a stellar season with a strong showing at the NCAA Division III National Cross Country Championships Saturday.
Schaefer ran the 6-kilometer race at E.P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park in 22 minutes, 56.2 seconds. That marked one of the few times in her career that she went under the 23-minute mark.
Schaefer, Grinnell's first national qualifier since her coach
Sarah Burnell '14 did so in 2013, moved up steadily throughout the race. She was in 239
th place after a kilometer, jumped 27 spots to 212
th at the 3-kilometer position and went up another 28 spots by the 4-kilometer mark to be sitting in 184
th place.
But Schaefer wasn't done improving on her placing, going up to 181
st by the time she hit the 5-kilometer mark before finishing in 178
th.
The regional in which Schaefer competed last weekend was well-represented at the race, as Kassie Rosenbum of Loras College won the individual title in 20:11.1 and Wartburg College captured fourth in the team standings. John Hopkins University won the team title with 130 points.
