The women’s cross-country team will try to run their way to the top of the Division-I Independent Championship after barely missing the title last season, while the men will attempt to defend their championship title.

So far, the season has been filled with ups and downs for both Head Coach Rod DeHaven and runners. Six runners returned to the women’s second place team last year, but only one runner returned to the men’s first-place team.

“It is kind of how things play out with our transition to Division I, graduation and transfers,” DeHaven said.

Since the transition to Division-I athletics, many things have changed for the athletic programs at SDSU. For cross-country, one thing has not changed, however, and that is regional recruiting. The majority of runners on both teams come from South Dakota and surrounding states in the Midwest.

Amidst all the changes, there seems to be nothing but an optimistic attitude coming from the runners and DeHaven.

Both the men and women’s teams go through excessive training when preparing for a race. The practice takes numerous hours of physical and mental preparation.

One thing most people do not realize about cross-country is that the runner’s coach or fellow teammates are not always with them every step of the way. The sport takes much personal training and preparation.

“Athletes that compete in cross-country running are highly motivated and strong-willed. They may not always want to go out and run those ten miles, but they do it anyway,” DeHaven said.

At the teams’ final meet in West Salem, Wis., the women won and the men finished 16th.

Senior Becka Manshiem finished second in the 6,000-meter race with a time of 21:28.5, and Katie Tomberg placed eighth with a time of 22:04.78.

From the men’s team, sophomore Zach Frohling finished 39th in the 8,000-meter race with a time of 25:31.70. Freshman Bryan Kegley placed 118th, coming in at 26:42.53.

The teams now turn their focus to the Independent Championships.

“I would really like for both teams to do well, but I hope to see the women win. Last year, they lost by one point,” DeHaven said.

The women’s team suffered a tough loss last season to host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The race was lost when the Jacks’ 3rd runner was passed just before she crossed the finish line.

While having an Independent Championship would be nice, the best reward for DeHaven is “the excitement to see the students grow, whether they be the fastest, or kids who have just come on the team.”

For more than a year, 15 students have combined their agility, stamina and speed to play one of the hottest sports to hit the college intramural sports scene, ultimate Frisbee. The combination of football, soccer and basketball makes it a fast-paced, adrenaline-pumping and overall irresistible sport to play.

Ultimate Frisbee has graced college campuses everywhere since the early 1960s. Thanks to junior Alex Hasek’s efforts, ultimate Frisbee has finally arrived at SDSU.

After four months of countless meetings with intramural sports authorities and trouble finding appropriate funding for the new sport, Hasek was finally able to get ultimate Frisbee designated as an official student club. The club received Students’ Association approval last spring.

Before the ultimate Frisbee club was an official team, the team would still go out and play.

“We would just enter tournaments as a team from Brookings, nothing official,” said junior team member Nick Haltvick.

Although the boys have come a long way getting their club formed, they still have many obstacles to overcome. One is funding.

Unfortunately, everything is privately funded, meaning all of the team’s funding comes out of the members’ own pockets.

Frisbee is not cheap either. One Frisbee can cost as much as $20, and entering a tournament can range from $250 to $300, depending on the tournament. In addition, the team has to pay for travel expenses.

The team is working with the HPER department to get funding for next year, so they will have money to put toward traveling and tournaments, equipment and perhaps even jerseys someday.

To help offset the out-of-pocket costs, the boys are using their first ever fundraiser, “Adopt a Frisbee Player.” For only $1, people can purchase adoption certificates with their favorite player’s picture, biography and more. For $5, people can purchase the whole team.

The ultimate Frisbee team is looking for new people to join them. For those looking for something fun to do in their spare time, ultimate Frisbee might be the way to go.

“We take it seriously, but by no means are we a varsity sport,” Haltvick said.

#1.884077:228271006.jpg:frisbee01.jpg:Brandon Haynes, left, and Alex Hasek, right, of the ultimate Frisbee club play on Thursday, Oct. 5, at the intramural field, where they practice a few nights a week. :