V-Hawks take Fourth at NSAA Championships, Birdsong Qualifies for Nationals
LA CROSSE, Wis. – The Viterbo University Men's Cross Country team hosted the 2023 North Star Athletic Association Cross Country Championships of Friday morning. The V-Hawks finished fourth out of six teams with 101 points.
Dickinsons State University (ND) won the NSAA crown with 38 points, and Richard Marcoux of Bellevue (Neb.) was the individual champion with a time of 25:57.1.
Connor Birdsong was the top performer for the V-Hawks, finishing third place with a time of 26:06.80. He was narrowly beaten out for second place by a diving effort from Caleb Sarsland of Dickinson State. Finishing top-10 earned him All-Conference, while being a top-four finisher not on the championship team qualified him to run as an individual at the NAIA National Championship meet in Vancouver, Wash. on November 17.
Ben Fleuchaus' time of 28:38.8 earned him 19th place, Garret Eick took 29th with a mark of 29:21.8, and Andrew Kaja came in 40th at 31:33.1. Bryce Ertman was the final scorer in 47th with a time of 32:38.71, and Tanner Groshek was the final finisher in 53rd and a mark of 37:15.3.