Bennie cross country finishes MIAC tournament; looks to regionals

The Bennies ran in the MIAC Championships on Saturday. First-year Daphne Grobstein and senior Mary Kenney both notched top 36 finishes. Grobstein made an impressive MIAC championship debut, finishing 23rd overall with a time of 23:09.8 to earn MIAC Honorable Mention honors.

“I ran a good time. I was really locked in that race,” Grobstein said.

Head coach Robin Balder-Lanoue praised Grobstein’s performance, especially given her rookie status.

“Daphne, as a first year, really stepped up and had a great conference meet. She had a great plan going into the meet and executed it beautifully,” Balder-Lanoue said. “That’s something to be really proud of.”

Kenney, one of the team’s most experienced runners, finished with a time of 23:34.7 to place 36th overall.

“Pretty happy with the time I ran,” Kenney said. “Place-wise, I would have liked to finish higher.”

Balder-Lanoue highlighted Kenney’s performance compared with last season.

“Mary moved up from last year’s finish, and I know she definitely wants more,” Balder-Lanoue said. “I really believe these two could throw together some all-regional performances.”

Sophomore Mollie Ping also turned in a solid performance, grabbing a top 50 placing by taking 49th with a time of 23:59.3. Kenney, a 2022 MIAC Honorable Mention, is no stranger to success as she recorded a personal-best and the sixth-best time in program history with 22:27.8 at the Linfield George Oja Invitational on October 18. At the same meet, Grobstein ran a 23:04.1, which is good enough for the 19th-fastest time in program history. As a senior, Kenney feels she has stepped into and embraced a leadership role on the team this season.

“I just know the workouts. I know what to expect. I know how to communicate with everyone,” Kenney said. “We’ve been trying to do more team-building things. We started a new tradition this year, having pre-meet movie nights, which is just another way to connect with everyone outside of the track.”

Kenney said she has tried to provide valuable leadership to Grobstein, one of her main running and training partners.

“I’ve been kind of in a mentorship role with Daphne and the rest of the younger girls. I’m always running with her, so kind of just guiding her and all the freshmen together,” Kenney said.

Grobstein said she’s felt the influence of Kenney and the other upper classmen.

“The first week here, was the hardest week of my life, but it’s actually become so amazing. I’ve been taken in by Mary, who’s taken me through all the workouts, and she’s just an angel. It’s been great to have the older runners to look up to. I couldn’t imagine this good of a team anywhere else. I look forward to seeing them every day, training with them, and running with them every single day,” Grobstein said.

One of the biggest lessons Grobstein has picked up on has been the importance of race planning before each meet.

“I need to have a plan and it’s just something that I can think about during each race to help me,” Grobstein said.

Grobstein also credited the team’s positive and tight-knit culture for her smooth adjustment to collegiate running.

“I just love that everyone cares about everyone so much, and everyone’s always proud of each other,” Grobstein said.

Balder-Lanoue echoed the runners’ sentiments about team chemistry.

“The strength of our team is the culture and the chemistry on the team. There is something really special about this group, the way they embrace each other’s differences, and the way they just really uplift one another is phenomenal. I’m really proud of this team,” Balder-Lanoue said.

Kenney said that the team is concentrating on finishing strong.

“Hopefully we can be that team who’s PR-ing and peaking at regional time,” Kenney said. “I just want to be present and be grateful for every moment.”

The Bennies are set to host the CSB Fall Finale on Friday, Nov. 7, in Collegeville. CSB will also compete at the NCAA Division III North Region Championship on Nov. 15.

“I’d like to be able to keep up where I am, just stay tough,” Grobstein said. “All I really want is for all of us to be able to put it all out there and be happy.”