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Dickinson State’s men’s and women’s cross country teams are slated to race Thursday at the Yellow Jacket Invitational hosted by Black Hills State University at the Spearfish Canyon Country Club in Spearfish, SD. The women's 4k will start at 4:30 pm; the men's 4 mile will follow immediately after the conclusion of the women's race.

DSU comes off of their opener last week at Valley City State University. At Valley, the men’s field was conquered by Edwin Chelashaw (SO – Eldoret, Kenya), whose time of 21:42 over the 6400 meter course beat the nearest competitor by 70 meters. Look for Chelashaw to contend with the Yellow Jackets this week. Black Hills should serve as great competition as they are a perennial power in the DAC and NAIA.

The Blue Hawk women put a quartet in the top eight spots last week at VCSU. Tina Marie Soto (SR – Upland, CA), and newcomer Vanessa Esquivel (JR – Ontario, CA) placed second and fourth, respectively. As with the men, BHSU’s women are tough and should provide a top flight pack for Soto and Esquivel to race with.

Megan Auch (FR - Corvallis, MT) rolled a 16:14.96 over 4000 meters at Valley City. It’s important to note that when Auch’s time was converted up to the 5k collegiate women’s racing distance, her effort would have been a personal best my 30+ seconds.

Be on the lookout Thursday for Chris Gill (JR - Newhall, CA), a junior college transfer from the College of the Canyons. Gill is set to open up his season and make his debut with the DSU program. According to Head Coach, Thadd O’Donnell, Gill has been impressive in practice and Thursday’s test should confirm strong training efforts.

Following Thursday’s Yellow Jacket Invitational, the Blue Hawks next competition will be their home invitational at Patterson Lake on Friday, September 24th during Homecoming weekend. The Dickinson State “Beach Run” Invitational will begin at 4 pm MT.

Dickinson State’s cross country teams kicked off their season in grand fashion this afternoon at the Valley City State University Viking Invitational, hosted at Valley City Country Club. Edwin Chelashaw (SO – Eldoret, Kenya) won the 6400 meter men’s race in a time 21:42, which was 10.49 seconds faster than runner-up Spencer Ruebke of VCSU. Dickinson State’s men finished third overall. Bemidji State University (MN) won the men’s race with a total of 31 points. The Hawks number two runner was newcomer Dustin Sandback (FR - Billings, Montana), who finished 12th. Jose Silva (SR - Glendale, AZ) made his return to the Blue Hawk lineup finishing in 16th place. Rounding out the scoring for Dickinson State were Brad Steele (FR – Beach, ND) and Micah Morrill (FR – Snohomish, WA), who finished in 17th and 18th place, respectively.

The Blue Hawk women, led by Tina Marie Soto (SR – Upland, CA), finished in second place behind NAIA 34th Ranked Jamestown College. Dickinson ran an excellent race up front, placing 2 runners in the top four places and 4 in the top eight. Soto, an All-DAC performer in 2009, ran 16:05.50 over the 4000 meter course to finish third. Today’s winner was Katie Conlon of Jamestown College, who finished tenth at the NAIA National Cross Country Championships last season. Junior college transfer, Vanessa Esquivel (JR – Ontario, CA) tore her way onto the DAC scene finishing in fourth place with a time of 16:14.96. Newcomer Megan Auch (FR - Corvallis, MT) rolled in her collegiate debut, registering a time of 16:32.34 and finishing in 6th place. Returning All-DAC runner Gladys Rotich (SO – Nairobi, Kenya) placed 7th. DSU’s fifth scorer was Samantha Pounds (SR – Bakersfield, CA), who finished in 19th place. Rounding out the lineup for the Blue Hawks were Jamie Swetella (SR – Bakersfield, CA) and junior college transfer Erika Nowack (JR – San Jose, CA) who finished 20th and 21st, respectively.

The Blue Hawks return to action in Spearfish, SD on Thursday, September 9th for the Yellow Jacket Invitational (DSU held their annual preseason camp two weeks ago in the Black Hills). Next week’s races will be held at the Spearfish Canyon Country Club. The women's 4k will start at 4:30 pm, with the men's 6k to follow immediately after the conclusion of the women's race.

Looking further down the path, the Running Hawks will host their home invitational at Patterson Lake on Friday, September 24th during Homecoming weekend. The Dickinson State “Beach Run” Invitational will begin at 4 pm MT.

Dickinson State’s cross country teams kick off their season Friday afternoon at the Valley City Viking Invitational. Friday’s races culminate summer and pre-season training phases that were highlighted by the Hawks annual Black Hills training camp in Spearfish, SD.

DSU’s women should be competitive this season given their mix of returning experience and influx of new talent. 2010 All-DAC performer’s sophomore, Gladys Rotich (Nairobi, Kenya) and senior, Tina Marie Soto (Upland, CA) will lead the Hawks. Rotich, who finished one place out of qualifying for nationals last season, is back to achieve a top five place that evaded her a year ago. Soto, who specializes in the 5 and 10 kilometer distances on the track brings impressive strength to the cross country course and is looking to improve on her 11th place DAC finish from last season.

While Dickinson’s returners are strong, their upside could be in their new roster additions. Leading the charge of new Hawks will be junior, Vanessa Esquival and freshman, Megan Auch. Esquival (Ontario, CA), a community college transfer, finished 38th in the ultra competitive California Community College Athletic Association State Championships last fall for Citrus College. Her 18:42 personal best over five kilometers should make her a force to be reckoned with in the DAC. Auch (Corvallis, MT), who finished 61st in the 2009 Montana State Cross Country Meet, will also compete for All-DAC honors and contribute to a strong scoring pack for the Blue Hawks.

Bakersfield, CA natives and seniors Samantha Pounds and Jamie Swetella return to provide strong leadership. Also joining the pack are a pair of sophomore transfers Teal Cummisk (Dickinson, ND) and Erika Nowack (San Jose, CA). Cummisk is a transfer from Green Mountain College of Vermont. Nowack comes to DSU from San Jose City College.

On the men’s side, sophomore, Edwin Chelashaw (Eldoret, Kenya), senior, Jose Silva (Glendale, AZ), and junior, Luka Kogo (Eldoret, Kenya) return to lead the Blue Hawks this season. Chelashaw, who finished in the top 14 at last season’s loaded Mount Marty Invitational, has the potential to be a low score at the DAC Championship this year. Silva, who enters the 2010 season with a tremendous mileage base, will be gunning for conference honors and is looking to reignite the stride he displayed at SSS College prior to transferring to DSU. 2008 DAC Conference Freshamn of The Year, Luka Kogo also returns to the lineup to bolster the DSU squad. Joining the veteran Hawk trio are a pair of middle-distance specialists, College of the Canyons transfer Chris Gill (Newhall, CA) and freshman Dustin Sandbak (Billings, MT). Freshman, Micah Morrill (Snohomish, WA) is new to the program as well and should provide strong depth.

Valley City’s Invitational will feature competition from DAC foe Jamestown College, Bemidji State University, and host school Valley City University who is reinstating their program after a seven year dormancy. As is tradition with most cross country openers, Friday’s races will be contested over short courses. The men will race 4 miles and the women will compete over 2.5 miles. The Viking Invitational will be held at the Valley City Country Club. The men’s race will start at 3 pm MT. The women’s race is set to begin 10 minutes after the conclusion of the men’s competition.

Looking ahead, the Blue Hawks will host their home invitational on Friday, September 24th at Patterson Lake. The Dickinson State “Beach Run” Invitational will begin at 4 pm MT.

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