Cross Country News Releases

Tobben selected Iowa Conference Male Athlete of the Week

MOUNT VERNON - Cornell College junior cross country runner Andrew Tobben (Washington, Mo./St. Francis Borgia) has been named the Iowa Conference's Male Athlete of the Week for the period ending Nov. 1.

Tobben picked up his fourth weekly league honor of the fall. He was also named IIAC Men's Cross Country Runner of the Week on Sept. 14, Oct. 12 and Oct. 19.

Tobben made school history Saturday in taking the individual title at the IIAC Men's Cross Country Championships in Waverly. He became Cornell's first ever IIAC champion in cross country, outlasting a field of 146 runners. Tobben covered the eight-kilometer course in 26 minutes, 28 seconds, finishing 10 seconds ahead of his closest competitor.

Tobben helped lead the Rams to a school-best, third-place IIAC team finish with 84 points. Cornell crowned three all-conference performers - Tobben (1st), Ben Jacobs (9th) and Chase Nowak (12th) - after having only two previous all-IIAC runners since joining the league in 1997.

Tobben is the first Ram to claim a conference title in cross country since 1993, when Kelly Lear was crowned women's champion in the Midwest Conference. The last Cornell male runner to grab conference gold was Tony Every in 1990.

Tobben is a two-time all-conference performer, who took eighth at the 2007 meet. He notched his second victory and fifth top-five finish of the season.

The Rams compete at the NCAA Central Region Championships Saturday, Nov. 14 in Grinnell. The regional is a qualifier for the NCAA Division III Championships Nov. 21 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cornell men were ranked 10th in last week's Central Region Poll.