MARSHALL INDEPENDENT (© 2002 story reprinted with permission)
9-05-2002
NEW ULM � The Marshall boys cross country team wasn�t perfect Thursday. But almost. The Tigers posted a team score of 16 � one point away from a perfect score of 15 � to roll to a win at the New Ulm Invitational. The Tiger girls also had a strong day, finishing second behind Fairmont. The win, the second in as many meets for the Tiger boys, was impressive for Marshall. �Things are really looking good at this point in the season,� Marshall coach Mike Jacobs said.
Yahya Iman, a newcomer to cross country, continues to be a surprise early in the season. Iman won the meet with a time of 15:19, beating teammate Akey Jumale, who finished second, by eight seconds. �In the first two races, in the last mile, it�s been �who�s going to take charge?� Twice it�s been him,� Jacobs said. �He�s shown a tremendous competitive streak towards the end of races. He�s went out and taken charge. �He and Akey were running neck-and-neck until the last half-mile. They worked each other for most of the race.�
Tom Allen was third overall for Marshall, posting a time of 15:46. Right behind him was teammate Jon Tauer at 15:49 in fourth. Salah Mohammed, running in his first meet this year, was sixth overall. Bart Johnson was the sixth Tiger runner in at 16:30, and Paul Carlson finished 13th. All seven Tiger runners placed in the top 13 and were less than two minutes apart. �I�m happy with the pack. The times, even though the course was a little shorter, were incredible,� Jacobs said. �These are great runs. We have guys who are capable of breaking 17 minutes, and we have some guys who can break 16 minutes in a 5K race. That�s exciting. �We�re seeing a strong pack. We had 1:11 from Bart, our sixth runner, to our No. 1 runner. We�ve been running with a lot of intensity.�
Julia Schultz led the Tiger girls with a fourth-place finish as Marshall finished 50 points behind winner Fairmont. �Julia ran the most aggressive race of our crowd,� Jacobs said. �She got herself early in a good position.� The next Tiger finisher was Traci Pagel at 18th, followed by Laura Johnson in 20th and Samantha Tauer in 23rd. �If they can get themselves in a good position, they can still be making moves at the end,� Jacobs said. �We just weren�t in the mode to do much surging. We have a ways to go with the girls yet. The jury is still out on the girls team; but there are possibilities.�
Haley Meyer had a strong JV run for the Tiger girls, finishing fourth . Her time would have put her fourth on the varsity. The Tiger teams play host to a big invitational Monday at Independence Park. The meet starts at 4:30 p.m.
Boys
Team scores: Marshall 16, Fairmont 55, Mankato East 86, MVL 108, Redwood Valley 126, Worthington 146, SE St. Mary�s, New Ulm, MCW incomplete
Marshall varsity: 1. Yahya Iman, 15:19; 2. Akey Jumale, 15:27; 3. Tom Allen, 15:46; 4. Jon Tauer, 15:49; 6. Salah Mohammed, 15:57; 9. Bart Johnson 16:30; 13. Paul Carlson 17:08
Marshall JV: 1. Blaine Kuiper, 17:26; 2. Tyler Crowley, 18:09; 8. Luke Nelson, 19:21; 1. Eric Ahmann, 20:08; 19. Malte Buecken, 20:20; 26. Tim VanMoer, 21:21
Marshall JH: 3. Brian Byrnes, 6:29; 7. Alex Christianson, 6:41; 10. Erik Carlson, 7:07; 16. Matt Calvin, 7:43; 18. Ben Peterson 7:59
Girls
Team scores: Fairmont 39, Marshall 89, MVL 95, Mankato East 96, MCW 101, Worthington 150, New Ulm 157, Redwood Valley 169, SE St. Mary�s 210
Marshall varsity: 4. Julia Schultz, 13:26; 18. Traci Pagel, 14:08; 20. Laura Johnson, 14:27; 23. Samantha Tauer, 14:49; 24. Lindsay Baun, 14:51; 34. Joni Coleman, 15:42; 52. Krista Kaiser, 16:58
Marshall JV: 3. Haley Meyer, 14:30; 10. Stephanie Musser, 16:09; 18. Cassie VanOverbeke, 17:22; 23. Nicole Bergstrom, 18:11
Marshall JH: 3. Justine Heinis, 7:42; 4. Allison Schultz, 7:49; 5. Kate Geraets, 7:50; 13. Erika Allen, 8:25; 19. Tiffany Schroeder, 8:55
-Courtesy Marshall Independent