Throughout the 2014 season, Shannon Strickland (Rochester, Minn./Lourdes) has been solidly the St. Catherine University cross country team's second or third finisher. However, at what couldn't have been a better time, she finally broke through to emerge as the Wildcats' leader at the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Championships Saturday at the Como Park Golf Course in St. Paul. For her outstanding finish, she has been named the Wildcat Athlete of the Week.Â
The Wildcats turned in their third-consecutive ninth-place finish as a team Saturday thanks in large part to the personal record (PR) race from Strickland. The sophomore crossed the line 44th overall and 38th among scoring runners to anchor the Wildcat squad. Her time of 23:51.3 was over 30 seconds faster than her previous best time and nearly two minutes faster than her rookie debut at the conference meet a year ago.Â
Strickland's time is not only a PR, but it is also ranks No. 8 all-time at St. Kate's for 6k performances. It is also the second-fastest time by a Wildcat att he MIAC Championships in the last two seasons. Prior to the MIAC Championships, Strickland ran a PR that ranked No. 15 all-time at the team's opening performance of the season at the UW-River Falls Falcon Invitational.Â
Strickland and the Wildcats will return to action once more this fall as they compete Saturday, Nov. 15 at the NCAA Central Region Meet hosted by Central College. The race is scheduled for 12 p.m. in Pella, Iowa.Â
