Mile posts: Items on UNI coaching changes, Joe Anderson, Jessica Kampman, Morgan Lawson, Mackenzie Gaherty, Jessica Hruska

Changing things up and starting off this edition of the WEEKEND UPDATE with news affecting one of the state's biggest cross country programs.

The University of Northern Iowa has announced a change with its cross country and track and field programs. Dave Paulsen, who has served as head coach of both programs since 2015, has been elevated by director of athletics David Harris to the position of director of track and field/cross country. He will oversee both programs.

Alexina (Wilson) Teubel, who has been an assistant coach since exhausting her eligibility in 2015, was named head coach of the men's and women's cross country programs.

"Dave and Alex have done an outstanding job working together to elevate the UNI track and field and cross country programs," Harris said in a Northern Iowa press release. "Dave will continue to provide overall leadership, but this gives Alex a great opportunity to step forward and provide more guidance and instruction on a daily basis. Our programs have had amazing success over the past several years and I have no doubt that we will continue to see our student-athletes excel. Dave and Alex work hard, love this institution and represent the very best of what the Panther family has to offer."

"I want to thank David Harris and the entire athletics administration for their confidence in our program to take this next step with how our staff is structured," Paulsen said. "This supports one of our main goals of providing student athletes with the best possible experience while at UNI. Alex has done an excellent job for this program and I am excited for her to thrive in her new role as head cross country coach."

Paulsen is a former All-American distance runner and winner of the Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year Award six times during his career. Five of those came with the UNI men's track team. The Panthers, under Paulsen, have won two men's indoor and three outdoor MVC team championships under Paulsen. Paulsen also led the UNI women to the 2016 MVC cross country title.

Paulsen previously was head cross country coach and assistant track and field coach at Central College from 2006-08. He was an All-American for UNI on the Panthers' distancy medley relay team in 2002. Paulsen, from Wavlery, has bachelor's and master's degrees from UNI.

Teubel set school records on the track in the mile, 3,000 meters and steeplechase. She also set the UNI women's cross country record for 5 kilometers during her junior season. She was a three-time MVC champion in the indoor mile, outdoor 800 and outdoor 1,500 her senior season. Teubel, a former Mount Vernon/Lisbon prep standout, has qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials in 2016 and 2021, making the finals of the 3,000 steeplechase in 2021.

"I couldn't be happier to officially be named the head coach of the UNI cross country program," Teubel said. "I feel so fortunate to have the opportunity to work with such a great group of student-athletes and alongside our passionate staff at UNI."

Now on to the highlights from a quiet weekend of racing as the NCAA Division I, II and III programs await conference meets this weekend. Let's start at the Mount Marty Invite in Yankton, S.D., on Saturday, where the Dordt University men finished 1-2-5-9-11 to claim the title with 28 points. NCAA Division II Sioux Falls was 10 points back in second.

Dordt senior and former George/Little Rock prep Joe Anderson won his second college cross country meet, taking the 8K title in 25 minutes, 0.70 seconds. Anderson was able to hold off fellow senior teammate Eric Steiger for a second consecutive meet. Steiger, from Lynden, Wash., 25:02.33. Anderson first defeated Steiger two weeks ago at Dordt's home meet, the Defender Holiday Inn Classic in Sioux Center. That day Anderson ran 24:19.59 to runner-up Steiger's 24:22.95.

Junior Ethan Summerhays recorded a new personal-best time by running 25:22.36 and finishing fifth overall. Summerhays is from Ontario, Canada. Defender senior Davis Tebben was next in ninth in 25:33.17 while sophomore Aidan Vorster was the final scorer in 11th in a new best of 25:44.86. Tebben is from Michigan and Vorster from California.

Also finishing in the top 15 and showing Dordt's fine depth were three seniors: Thaniel Schroeder (12th, 25:45.35), Peter Shippy (14th, 25:50.45) and Trey Engen (15th, 26:02.41). Schroeder is from Spencer, South Dakota, while Shippy ran for Sioux Center. Engen attended Algona.

The University of Sioux Falls upended the Dordt women in the 5K team competition by a 34-44 margin. Junior Jessica Kampman led the way for the Defender women with a runner-up finish in 18:18.14. For the senior from British Columbia, Canada, it was her third consecutive second place following efforts at Briar Cliff and the Defender Holiday Inn Classic. Graduate student and former Morningside College runner Kristine Honomichl took seventh in 18:55.48, just ahead of junior Lucy Borkowski (eighth, 18:56.82). Honomichl is from Colorado and Borkow is a former Harlan Community runner from Manilla. The final Defenders scorers were Molly Mulder (15th, 19:20.96) and Anika Homan (16th, 19:22.03). Mulder is a true freshman from Minnesota while Homan is a junior from Wisconsin.

Several Iowans competing for Iowa colleges cracked the top 15. Freshman Emily Haverdink led Northwestern College with a fifth-place finish in 18:46.35. Junior teammate Katlyn Wiese was next for the Red Raiders in ninth in 19:04.14. Haverdink is a former MOC-FV (Orange City) runner while Wiese is a former Ridge View (Holstein) athlete. Morningside College was paced by 13th-place Courtney Sporrer, who ran 19:15.86. Sporrer went to Logan-Magnolia. Northwestern was third with 81 points, Morningside fifth with 144. Sioux Falls sophomore Khot Juac was the champion in 18:02.06.

Grand Rapids, Mich., was the site for a highly competitive NAIA Great Lakes Challenge on Saturday. Former Hawkeye Community College runner Sam Mickelson and former Des Moines East prep Tony Rodriguez led the Grand View men to a seventh-place finish with 232 points in the men's Red bracket. Mickelson, a senior academically from East Dubuque, Ill., ran 24:52.70 for 14th place. Rodriguez, also a senior, took 25th in 25:09.60.

Senior Seth Kilborn finished 49th out of 239 finishers in 25:46.70. Kilborn is a former Ames High product. Stevie Salas, from New Mexico, was 70th in 25:59.60. Senior Isaiah Wittrock, the reigning NAIA 1,500-meter national champion, showed his versatility by placing 81st in 26:11.20. Wittrock went to Pekin High and is from Richland.

The winner was Jason Bowers of Cumberland (Tenn.) in 24:03.30 and No. 5 Indiana Wesleyan took the team title with 88 points.

Grand View senior standout Morgan Lawson finished 12th in the women's Red race after touring the Aquinas College 5K course in 18:00.70. Lawson is a former Ottumwa High star. The next Vikings finisher was former Des Moines North runner Ikilias Hasan, a sophomore, in 88th place in a new personal-best time of 19:37.70. The Vikings finished 22nd in the team race.

The overall winner was Addy Wiley of Huntington in 16:57.60 and No. 2-ranked Taylor scored 46 points to win the team title.

Dubuque native and former Iowa Central athlete Mackenzie Gaherty finished seventh overall at the Bob Waxlax Invitational on Wednesday, Oct. 19, to help lead Minnesota State to the team title. The senior ran 21.47.44 for the 6K race. The Mavericks, 18th ranked in NCAA Division II, scored 28 points to top Winona State by five points.

Iowa's reserves ran at the Illini Open in Champaign, Ill., on Friday. Ana Barroso, a freshman, was the top finisher for the Hawkeyes in eighth place in 18:37.5 in the 5K race. The top men's finisher was another freshman, Carson Houg, in 15th place in a new best of 25:49.4. Houg is a former Des Moines Christian athlete from Urbandale.

Former Wartburg College and Dubuque Hempstead runner Jessica Hruska, 42, of Dubuque finished runner-up out of 96 competitors at the USATF Masters 5K Cross Country Championships on Saturday in Boulder, Colo. The Runablaze Iowa athlete ran 19:52 to finish 31 seconds behind champion Ann Kirkpatrick.

"After learning the caliber of ladies I was racing, I am ok with that result," Hruska wrote on Instagram. "The girl who beat me is a 2:37 marathoner, the girl who was third place still holds the course record at footlocker nationals. Looking back now, of course, I feel like I should have been able to be tougher, but at that time I gave it all I had."

Former Wartburg College standout Carina Collet was the overall female winner at the NIRCA Cross Country's Great Plains Regional on Saturday in Geneva, Ill. The ISU Run Club athlete covered the 6K course in 23:05.60 to win by 30 seconds over the University of Illinois' Diane Makovic. In the men's 8K, Iowa State's Sean McDermott finished sixth overall in 27:04.20. The event is for college club teams.

Nolan Rudd, an assistant coach with St. Ambrose and a former Bees standout, was the overall winner of the Cornbelt Running Club's Pumpkin Dash 8K at Credit Island Park on Sunday. Rudd, 23, ran 26:13 to top former Iowa runner Ben Lloyd by eight seconds. Lloyd, 40, of Davenport ran the sixth-best time by a masters runner (40 and over) in Iowa history, supplanting the time of 26:26 by Boone's Jim Pollard, 40, from 1992. Lloyd is a Running Wild Elite athlete, as is third-place Kevin Claus, 27, of Port Byron, Ill. Claus, a former Augustana College athlete, ran 26:24.

Former Northern Iowa and Davenport Assumption athlete Becca Mallon of the Running Wild Elite team was the overall 8K champion in a new personal-best 31:19. Mallon, 28, lives in North Liberty.

Brett Rosauer of the Running Wild Elite team was the overall winner of the Iowa City Run for Schools on Sunday. Rosauer, 32, of Iowa City ran 32:42 to win by 2:12. Sasha Gallagher, 27, of Coralville was the women's winner and sixth overall in 18:16.

At the Hot Cider Hustle 10K on Sunday in Cedar Rapids, Runablaze's Josh Evans was the overall winner in 33:48. Evans, now residing in Ankeny, is a former Linn-Mar of Marion prep great. Evans won by 1:37.

Jodi Smith, 44, of Ames was the female winner of the Run for the Roses 5K in Ames on Sunday. Smith ran 19:32 and finished third overall.

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

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This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Mile posts: Items on UNI coaching changes, Joe Anderson, Jessica Kampman, Morgan Lawson, Mackenzie Gaherty, Jessica Hruska