Morningside placed five runners on the 2016 All-GPAC Cross Country Teams and David Nash was named the GPAC Women’s Cross Country Coach of the Year.

David Nash

Morningside College had five runners named to the 2016 All-Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Teams based on Top 15 finishes at last Saturday’s 2016 GPAC Cross Country Championships in Hastings, Neb.

The Mustangs placed Morgan Applegarth, Michelle Mumm and Tiffany Shepherd on the All-GPAC Women’s Cross Country Team, while Alec DeVries and Sean Skillern were named to the All-GPAC Men’s Cross Country Team.

In addition to the All-GPAC selections, Morningside’s David Nash was named the Hauff Mid-America Sports/GPAC Women’s Cross Country Coach of the Year after the Mustangs won their first-ever GPAC women’s cross country championship by a three-point margin over four-time reigning champion Dordt College. Nash was the named the Hauff Mid-America Sports/GPAC Men’s Cross Country Coach of the Year in 2013 and 2014 after he led the Mustang men to back-to-back conference titles.

Morningside earned an automatic berth into the 2016 NAIA Women’s Cross Country National Championship by winning the GPAC title. DeVries, a junior from Merrill, Iowa, earned an at-large berth as an individual into the NAIA Men’s Cross Country National Championship by virtue of a fourth place finish with a time of 25:32.33 over the 8K course at last Saturday’s GPAC Championships.

Shepherd, a senior from Corning, Iowa, earned All-GPAC honors for the third time in her career after she finished third in the women’s 5K race with a time of 17:54.96 at the GPAC Championships.

Mumm, a junior from Neola, Iowa, was the GPAC individual runner-up with a time of 17:50.53 to earn All-GPAC honors for the second year in a row.

Applegarth, a sophomore from Lincoln, Neb., was also a repeat All-GPAC selection after she finished 12th with a time of 18:32.83.

DeVries was named to the All-GPAC Team for the third time in his career, while Skillern, a senior from Shenandoah, Iowa, earned All-GPAC honors for the first time after he finished 15th with a time of 26:05.58 at the GPAC Championships.

The 2016 NAIA Cross Country National Championships will be held Nov. 19 at North Farm Cross Country Course in Elsah, Ill.

Click here for the complete 2016 All-GPAC Cross Country Teams.