Edwardson sixth, Storm run well in loaded field

LACROSSE, Wis. - Senior Ryan Edwardson paced Simpson with a sixth place showing at Drews/Neubauer Invitational, hosted by UW-LaCrosse on Saturday.

Edwardson's 25:44 performance made him the top Iowa Conference competitor in the Jim Drews 8-kilometer race.

"Ryan ran very well and raced very smart today," head coach Heath Moenck said. "He continues to put our team in a position to be successful and put us in contention for a strong finish at the conference and regional championships.

In a large and highly competitive field, John Warnke led the chase pack for the Storm, finishing 97th (27:27). Jake Sutton was 101st  (27:30), Matt Stone was 102nd (27:30), and Mitch Davis was 113th (27:47).

Mark Foster was the Storm's sixth finisher, running 28:12 (134th), and Mitch Hill rounded out the top seven, running 28:51 (153rd).

"We ran well today, and it was great to see our guys have such large improvements from earlier this season," Moenck said. "We had all of our guys under 30 minutes. We are looking forward to championship time."

The Simpson men finished 15th in a 25 team meet with 419 points, beating regionally ranked Carleton College by 71 points. UW-LaCrosse won the Drews Race with 79 points.

The Storm will compete next at the Iowa Conference Championship in Decorah, hosted by Luther College on Saturday, October 29.