Michelle Mumm won the women’s individual title at the GPAC Cross Country Championships

Michelle Mumm, a senior from Neola, Iowa, was the women’s individual champion at the 2017 Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Cross Country Championships held Saturday in Sioux Center, Iowa.

Mumm became the Mustangs’ first-ever female GPAC individual cross country champion.

The GPAC individual title made Mumm an automatic qualifier for the 2017 NAIA Cross Country National Championships to be held Nov. 18 at Fort Vancouver National Historical Site in Vancouver, Wash.

Mumm, last year’s GPAC runner-up, ran the 5k course in a time of 17:47.34 to lead a field of 100 runners. She finished less than five seconds in front of Dordt College’s Audrey Brooks, who ran second in 17:52.12.

Mumm’s effort led the Mustangs to a fourth place finish in the team standings. Morningside finished with 78 points to finish six points out of third place behind Hastings College (72) and eight points out of second behind Northwestern College (70). Dordt won the team title with 45 points.

Morningside also finished fourth in the men’s team standings. The Mustangs had 97 points to finish eight points out of third place behind Dordt (89). Northwestern scored 38 points to win the men’s championship by a 21-point margin over runner-up Doane University (59).

Jason Kenny, a senior from Schaller, Iowa, was the top finisher for the Mustang men with a time of 25:46.61 over the 8k course for ninth place.

Aside from Mumm’s individual victory, the Mustang women also had a top 10 finish from Payton Boer, a junior from Sioux Center, Iowa, who finished seventh with a time of 18:36.19.

Mumm’s individual victory earned her the GPAC Women’s Cross Country Runner of the Year award and a spot on the 2017 All-GPAC Women’s Cross Country Team. Boer joined her on the All-GPAC Women’s Cross Country Team, while Kenny earned All-GPAC Men’s Cross Country laurels.

Men’s Results

Women’s Results