Mile posts: Items on Caroline Cunningham, Florance Uwajeneza, Hillary Bor, Reed Fischer, Morgan Lawson, Sam Mickelson, Joe Anderson

Caroline Cunningham is putting together a cross country season to remember.

The former Cedar Falls High prep broke her own Northwest Missouri State 6,000-meter record while claiming the MIAA Championships individual title in Joplin, Mo., on Saturday. Cunningham ran 20 minutes, 39.6 seconds to eclipse her mark of 20:42.2 set at last month's Platte River Rumble in Omaha, Neb. Cunningham topped her own teammate, Amber Owens, by 10.9 seconds and leads off this edition of the WEEKEND UPDATE of the best performances by Iowa-based collegiate and postcollegiate distance runners and triathletes.

Sophomore Tori Castle, a former Treynor High standout, finished 55th in 23:16.8 as the Bearcats had to settle for third place in the team race with 78 points. They were 27 behind champion Pittsburg State and 11 in back of Nebraska-Kearney.

Cunningham qualified for NCAA Division II nationals in the 3,000 steeplechase last spring and also was MIAA runner-up in that event.

In the men's 8K at the Tom Rutledge Cross Country Course, former Center Point-Urbana standout Myles Bach of Nebraska-Kearney finished seventh overall in 24:03.02 to earn All-MIAA honors and lead a 7-8-9 finish for the Lopers. Kearney finished runner-up in the team race with 68 points, 27 behind champion Missouri Southern.

The Northwest Missouri men's team finished seventh in the team race and freshman Riley Witt was the No. 3 runner for the Bearcats in 40th place. The former St. Ansgar prep took 40th overall. Ryan Campbell, another freshman and former Sioux City East prep, was 71st in 26:08.5. The Rutledge course will serve as the host venue for the NCAA Central Regional on Nov. 19.

Having an outstanding season and career in her own right is West Texas A&M's Florance Uwajeneza. The former Iowa Central Community College star won her third consecutive Lone Star Conference championship on Saturday in Wichita Falls, Texas. The senior from St. Paul, Minn., became the first Buffs athlete to claim three consecutive titles and the first to claim three in a row in the conference since Abilene Christian's Musa Gwanzura achieved the feat in 1998. Uwajeneza covered the 6K course in 20:50.9 to finish 19 seconds ahead of Dallas Baptist's Madison Brown.

Junior Eleonora Curtabbi, another former Iowa Central runner, earned all-conference honors again by placing third at River Creek Golf Course in 21:18.9. Those two athletes helped the Lady Buffs finish runner-up in the team race with 44 points, 11 behind Dallas Baptist.

The West Texas men did come through with a Lone Star title, their 10th consecutive crown, with the help of two former Iowa Central runner. Senior Innocent Murwanashyaka finished runner-up overall in the 8K race, running 24:58.5. The St. Paul resident was 47 seconds behind teammate and champion Harry Louradour.

Noah Bundrock, another senior and former Triton, finished ninth to earn all-conference honors. Bundrock ran 25:26.0. The Buffs scored just 28 points to easily outdistance Dallas Baptist by 62.

Continuing with NCAA Division II, former Dubuque Senior and Iowa Central runner Mackenzie Gaherty finished 17th at the NSIC championship for Minnesota State at Wayne, Neb., on Saturday. Gaherty, a senior, ran 22:40.29 for 6K as the Mavericks finished second with 68 points. Augustana was the champion with 56.

Moving now to road racing, where two-time Olympian and former Iowa State All-American Hillary Bor finished runner-up at the USATF 5K Road Championships held the day before the New York City Marathon in Central Park. Bor, a HOKA runner based in Colorado Springs, Colo., and eventual winner Abdihamid Nur dropped Kirubel Erassa with a mile to go to set up a two-man battle to the finish line. With a half mile to go and facing a slight incline, Nur started to press the pace and opened a gap on Bor. Nur continued to extend the gap and, despite a slight mistake, he won his first USATF national title in 13:24. That smashed fellow American Paul Chelimo's course record of 13:45. Nur, a former Northern Arizona great, followed the lead car off the course briefly 15 meters from the finish before going the correct way.

Nur earned $12,000 for the win and Bor, who splintered the race with a fast early pace, took $8,000 for the runner-up finish. Bor is coming off the USA 10 Mile Road Championships title in the Twin Cities in early Otober.

In the women's pro field, Jenny Simpson has returned to racing after a long break. The former IAAF 1,500-meter world champion finished 17th in 16:07. Simpson won the Army 10 Miler on Oct. 9 in 54:16 in her return to racing after about a year away. Simpson has been out with a sports hernia injury and has been coping with being displaced from her Marshall, Colo., home because of fire damage. Simpson, who just signed with Puma, was born in Webster City and lived in Fort Dodge and Ames before moving to Florida for good at age 5.

"… this past year I’m slowly learning to appreciate the value of just making it back to the starting line," Simpson wrote on Instagram. "It took me a year to get back into a uniform and the race execution that followed isn’t up to my standards but … I’m back in the game."

Former Ballard High standout and Minnesota All-American Abby Kohut-Jackson finished 26th in 16:26. Kohut-Jackson, a Tracksmith athlete, is a graduate medical student at Saint Louis University. The winner was former New Mexico great Weini Kelati in 15:16.

The 51st New York City Marathon was held in warm weather, but the conditions didn't faze former Drake University standout Reed Fischer. The former multi-time Missouri Valley Conference champion finished 10th overall and was the second American in 2:15:23. Fischer is an Adidas-sponsored athlete and Tinman Elite team athlete who lives in Boulder, Colo.

"Today was a grind from the gun, and I’m really proud of the effort and commitment needed to earn that result," Fischer wrote on Instagram. "It was hot, it was humid, it was hard. But the crowd support and energy from the city was unparalleled."

Fischer, 27, has produced a number of quality races in 2022. He finished fifth at the USA 10 Mile Championships last month and took 16th in the Boston Marathon in April in a new personal-best time of 2:10:54. Kenya's Evans Chebet was the winner in 2:08:41.

Former Iowa State All-American Annie Frisbie couldn't duplicate her seventh-place finish at New York from a year ago. The Minnesota Distance Elite athlete and Puma-sponsored runner finished 21st overall in 2:35:35. Frisbie was coming off a strong runner-up finish at the USA 10 Mile Championships.

"Ouch NYC 2022, not my day," Frisbie, 25, and from Hopkins, Minn., said on Instagram. "Having a humbling tough race as a runner is bound to happen and that was the case for me yesterday."

Former Wartburg College and Dubuque Hempstead standout Jessica Hruska, 42, finished 35th among all women and placed fourth in the 40-44 age group after running 2:54:32. Hruska was the HOKA Chicago Half Marathon women's champion earlier this fall and wasn't too far off her best for the marathon, 2:49:29, despite the muggy conditions and hilly course. Hruska, a Dubuque resident, was the top Iowa resident, male or female. Kenya's Sharon Lokedi was the champion in 2:23:23.

The Indianapolis Monumental Marathon and Half Marathon races were held in very windy conditions with rain. The poor weather didn't deter former Ottumwa High and University of Iowa All-Big Ten runner Kevin Lewis much. The Minnesota Distance Elite athlete ran 1:04:39 to finish third overall. Lewis was 33 seconds ahead of teammate Tyler Jermann, who finished eighth in 1:05:12. Jermann is a former Iowa State athlete. Former Iowa resident and Runablaze Iowa athlete Ryan Root placed 15th overall in 1:06:12, just ahead of former ADM of Adel prep Mason Frank. Frank, the 2021 IMT Des Moines Half Marathon winner, ran 1:06:17 for 16th place. Frank now lives in the Denver, Colo., area. The overall winner was Tom Anderson in 1:03:34.

In the featured marathon, former Wartburg College star Sam Pinkowski of the Runablaze Iowa team finished sixth overall in 2:23:20. Recent IMT Des Moines Half Marathon champion Blake Whalen of Runablaze was four spots back after running 2:25:06. Whalen was in the lead pack through the half marathon in 1:08:25 before tailing off in the second half. Whalen is a former Dubuque Senior and Iowa Central Community College standout. Former Iowa athlete Ian Elkin finished 15th in 2:26:42. Another 18 seconds back in 16th place was Runablaze Iowa's Jason Thomas in 2:27:00. Thomas is a former Dowling Catholic standout. Thomas ran 1:12:25 in the first half. Running Wild Elite's Brett Rosauer of Iowa City placed 27th in a new personal-best time of 2:29:19. Former Wartburg and Valley High athlete Collin Day of Cedar Falls ended up 40th in 2:33:14. The winner was Andy Ekelem in a fine 2:09:45.

Former Boone High and Hansons-Brooks team athlete Danna Herrick finished sixth overall in the women's field in 2:43:45. Herrick is a Runablaze athlete living in Norwalk. Elaina Biechler, a former Coe College athlete living in Dubuque, finished 56th in 2:58:45. Former Wartburg runner Anna Keith was 58th in 2:59:13. Running Wild's Kasey (Zielinski) Froeschle was 90th in a new best time of 3:06:08. Jennifer Pope was the champion in 2:37:15.

Switching back to college cross country, where Grand View University senior Morgan Lawson repeated as women's Heart of America Conference 5K champion and the Viking men cruised to a second straight team title on a soggy and windy DMACC cross country course in Ankeny on Saturday. The former Ottumwa High standout ran 18:30.55 to win by 21.14 seconds over Benedictine's Caroline Cobo. The victory clinches a spot at NAIA nationals in Tallahassee, Fla., on Nov. 18 for Lawson. Grand View finished fourth in the team race with 120 points.

Team runner-up Mount Mercy was buoyed by the 1-2 punch of former Linn-Mar prep Deanna Newhouse and former Melcher-Dallas prep J'Lyn Knutson. Newhouse, a freshman and former Iowa State student, finished third in 19:04.32. Knutson, a sophomore, was fifth in 19:19.37 as the Mustangs scored 106 points. Benedictine was the champion with 29 points.

Leading eighth-place Graceland was seniors Ashlynn Perkins and Grace Stewart. Perkins took 12th in 19:48.47 and Stewart 13th in 19:49.61. Stewart is a Perry native who transferred from DMACC.

The Grand View men took four of the top five spots to score just 19 points and punch their ticket to NAIA nationals in Tallahassee. Benedictine was a distant second with 83 points. Junior Sam Mickelson, a transfer from Hawkeye Community College, won his first HOA title, taking the 8K crown over 132 other runners in 25:37.77.

Teammate Tony Rodriguez captured runner-up honors in 25:40.14. Rodriguez, a junior, is a former Des Moines East prep. Former Ames High athlete Seth Kilborn was fourth in 26:04.76 and ex-Pekin runner Isaiah Wittrock of Richland fifth in 26:09.25. Both are seniors. Junior Carter Huyser, a former Oskaloosa prep, and senior Chris Hatch also earned all-conference honors. Huyser was seventh and the final scorer for Grand View after running 26:19.00. Hatch was 14th in 26:42.08. First-year Vikings coach Miradieu Joseph was named coach of the year.

Graceland junior Dillon Grover was the top non-Grand View finisher in third place. Grover ran 25:48.54. Sergio Lizarraga, a true freshman, paced the Mount Mercy men's third-place team finish in sixth place. Lizarraga ran 26:17.78. Sophomore teammate Ryan Clancy was ninth in 26:21.41.

Freshman Max Finley was one of two all-conference athletes for fifth-place William Penn. Finley took 10th in 26:26.29. Sophomore Brandon Williams took 13th in 26:40.84.

The Dordt University men likewise dominated the Great Plains Athletic Conference meet to capture their fifth consecutive title on Saturday at Jamestown, North Dakota. The Defenders scored 17 points and put all 10 of their runners in the top 16 to finish 69 ahead of Concordia (Neb.).

George-Little Rock graduate Joe Anderson won his first individual GPAC 8K championship by winning a three-runner Dordt battle to the finish line at Parkhurst Recreation Area. Anderson ran 25:29.62 to edge fellow senior Eric Steiger by .17 of a second and Davis Tebben, another senior, by .4 of a second. Anderson joined Steiger (2018) and Tebben (2021) as GPAC champions and earned his fourth all-conference honor. Steiger, from Lynden, Wash., became an All-GPAC runner for the first time, with a pair of runner-up finishes along with a third and eighth. Tebben, a four-time all-conference runner from Lansing, Mich., has been runner-up, third and seventh.

Dordt junior Ethan Summerhays produced his best finish in a GPAC race, running 25:33.92 to take fourth place. The Defenders' stranglehold was broken by Concordia and Dakota Wesleyan runners, but former Algona High prep Trey Engen finished off Dordt's scoring. The senior was seventh in 25:50.77 and earned his second all-conference award. Sophomore Aidan Vorster, making his GPAC debut, was eighth in 25:51.80 and senior Thaniel Schroeder also was all-conference for the first time in 10th in 26:05.20.

The remaining Dordt runners were: senior Brooks DeWaard (12th, 26:10.28), freshman Sam May (15th, 26:23.06) and freshman Tage Hulstein (16th, 26:30.39). May is a former MOC-FV (Orange City) prep. Hulstein is a former Western Christian of Hull runner and calls Sioux Center home.

"I am thankful for this special group of men and the work they put in as they pursued their fifth consecutive conference championship," Dordt head coach Nate Wolf said.

The lone non-Dordt finisher in the top 15 was Northwestern College senior Joseph Kunert in ninth place in 25:58.59. Kunert is a former Humboldt prep.

The Dordt women made it a clean sweep of the GPAC titles by taking their third consecutive title with 33 points, 31 ahead of Hastings and 42 in front of Concordia. The title was the Defenders' ninth in 11 years.

Dordt senior Jessica Kampman improved on three consecutive runner-up finishes in her past meets to claim the individual championship over the 5K course at Parkhurst Recreation Area. The athlete from British Columbia, Canada, ran 18:10.81 to win by more than 30 seconds. Kampman is the sixth Defender athlete to claim a GPAC title since 2008 and improved on a fifth-place finish in 2020 and a runner-up effort in 2021.

Kampman led five Defenders in the top 15. Graduate student and Morningside College transfer Kristine Honomichl was fifth in 18:54.39 to become a three-time GPAC performer. Honomichl is a native of Colorado. Sixth-place Lucy Borkowski earned all-conference honors for the first time by running 19:08.81. Borkowski is a former Harlan athlete from Manilla. True freshman Molly Mulder was ninth in 19:17.09. Junior Anika Homan rounded out the scorers in 13th place in 19:30.17 to become All-GPAC for the first time.

"I could not be prouder of this team for overcoming several obstacles throughout the year to win their third consecutive team championship," Wolf said.

Northwestern College was buoyed by Emily Haverdink and Katlyn Wiese, runner-up and third place in the meet. Haverdink, a true freshman and former MOC-FV runner, made her GPAC meet a memorable one by running 18:41.90 and clinching a spot at NAIA nationals. Wiese, a former Ridge View (Holstein) athlete, earned her second GPAC honor, but first trip to NAIA nationals after running 18:47.98. Wiese is a junior. Haverdink is the Red Raiders' highest all-conference finisher since 2010. This was the first time two Northwestern runners placed in the top five at the GPAC meet since 2017.

Also grabbing all-conference honors was Morningside's Courtney Sporrer, 11th in 19:20.72. Sporrer is a freshman and former Logan-Magnolia runner.

On to the trails, where Runablaze's Kyle Wagner of Huxley romped to victory in the PHT 15K in McGregor on Saturday. The former Loras College standout from Elkader ran 52:30.0 to win by more than 12 minutes. Paige Bruns was the women's winner in 1:06:42.4.

Finishing locally with the roads, where former Madrid prep Sean McDermott, 21, of Madrid was the overall winner of the wet Hillbilly Hike half marathon from Indianola to Carlisle. McDermott ran 1:13:56. Jacob Kaemmer, 45, was runner-up and the top masters athlete in 1:17:21.

GOING BACK: Devon Gurnett was the overall and male winner of To Grandmother's House We Go trail race at Brown's Woods in West Des Moines. Gurnett, 31, ran 1:04:03 for the 15K distance to win by 27.6 seconds over Yuri Fedirko, 45.

MISSING A TOP DISTANCE RUNNER OR TRIATHLETE?: Let me know at bergeson@registermedia.com.

Want to hear more about distance running in Iowa. Listen to my podcast here: https://anchor.fm/lance-bergeson8

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Mile posts: Items on Caroline Cunningham, Hillary Bor, Reed Fischer, Morgan Lawson, Sam Mickelson, Joe Anderson