FORT DODGE, IA - Carroll's men's team made their national debut in a memorable race that included blowing snow before, during and after finishing the 5-mile trek. The Lynx finished 37^th out of the 100 schools invited to compete. A major accomplishment for a team made up entirely of freshmen. The Lynx also avenged their 2^nd place finish in the Regional Championship two weeks ago by beating Region 20 Champions, Potomac State by a substantial margin.

The night before the race, the forecast called for clouds and rain, with the temperatures by race time (2:30pm) in the high 40's. No possibility of snow.

On race day morning, the snow started falling just after sunrise and continued to gain in intensity throughout the day. It may have been at it's peak just before the women's race. "I have never seen snow like this at a cross-country meet", said Carroll Coach Mark Reedy, "but it really added to the excitement while also keeping the spirit of the race a little more light hearted."

The men's team made the best of the situation, providing a fitting end to a "statement season." In one year, the men's team has demonstrated competitive success on both the regional and the national levels. With the entire team being freshmen and returning next year, the future is very bright. Led by Jesse Gresh, the men's team included Braylon Frey, Maddox Shuman, Salvatore Lavelle, Jimmy Schartner, and Cross Imbraguglio.

Repeat national championship meet runner, Caroline Vogelsang, a top 100 (out of over 300) finisher last year, like many cross-country runners, does not race in spikes. Preferring light weight training shoes or "racing flats." Yesterday, without spikes in snow that was turning into mud, running was almost impossible. After falling once, and nearly falling many more times, Caroline finished with a smile and never once complained. Caroline has been "the face" of the cross-country team since she arrived last year. Her success though out her time at Carroll has set the stage for the program's big step forward.

The athletes will race again in Fort Dodge on Tuesday, November 11 for the 13.1 mile half marathon meet.