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Kassie Parker XC Champ 2022
Emily Adlfinger

Parker Repeats as National Champion as No. 21 Women’s Cross Country Finishes 18th

November 19, 2022

By: Troy Weiman | Director of Athletic Communications
LANSING, Mich. (Nov. 19, 2022) – Not even a snowstorm and frigid conditions could slow down Kassie Parker on Saturday as the Loras College Cross Country star won her second consecutive NCAA Division III Cross Country National Championship to cement her legacy as one of the best runners in Division III history.

Parker crossed the snow-covered finish line at the Forest Akers Golf Course in a time of 21:06.5 on Saturday morning to secure yet another title in her final cross country race for the Purple and Gold. The Guttenberg, Iowa native paced the field by upwards of 43 seconds as Fiona Smith, the race runner-up from the College of St. Benedict, clocked in with a 21:49.6.

The snowfall in the past couple of days in Michigan was a point of conversation leading into race day, but it ultimately didn't impact the runners as much as many initially thought. Parker ran a 20:31.2 in the Pre-Championship meet on the same course back on Oct. 1, only about 40 seconds better than the time she ran this weekend.

While Parker's second straight championship came as no surprise to anybody on Saturday, the performance of the women's team as a whole was certainly something to celebrate as the Duhawks competed at the championships as a team for the first time since 1997 after earning an at-large bid during last Sunday's selections.

Loras finished in 18th place out of the 32 teams that entered the 6k race in Lansing. Brianna Renner finished in 54th place in a field of over 290 runners to help the Duhawk scoring total, clocking a 22:58.5 to improve on her time from earlier in the season.

Ellie Osterberger finished in 121st place with a 23:36.4 while twin sister Kaylee Osterberger was only about 20 seconds behind in 171st place with a time of 23:57.0. Alexis Riesberg finished the team scoring for the Duhawks with a 24:40.0 time in 254th place while Frankie Chaidez (264th – 24:49.0) and Marianne Gleason (286th – 25:29.3) finished out the Loras representation.

Currently ranked No. 21 in the country by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), the Duhawks finish out another successful season as they qualified for the national meet after placing fourth at the Midwest regional last weekend, a runner-up finish in the American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) Championships, and a top-3 finish at the National Catholic Championships earlier in the season.