butMinnesota senior Natalie Timmers was the fifth finisher for the Golden Gopher women’s cross country team, but it was Timmers passing a North Dakota runner with 150 meters left in the race that provided Minnesota with a one-point margin of victory. The Gophers edged North Dakota, 32-33, to win their third consecutive UMD Pine Hills Invitational crown in Carlton, Minn., on Saturday.

Freshman Carie Steil paced the Gophers with a third-place finish overall, posting a time of 22 minutes, 33.8 seconds over the 6-kilometer course. St. Benedict’s Leah Wurm captured medalist honors in a time of 22:29.

Four other Gophers tallied finishes among the top 10 individuals. Freshman Ariella DePrenger-Gottfried was fifth in 22:37.2, followed by Stefanie Zeihen in seventh in 22:51.9, Ayla Mitchell in eighth in 23:01.4 and Timmers in ninth in 23:11.8.

The Gophers, currently ranked No. 10 in the country, rested their top runners in preparation for next Saturday’s Pre-NCAA Meet in Terre Haute, Ind. The meet, hosted by Indiana State, is run on the same course as the NCAA Championships in November.

Pine Hills Invitational Saturday, Oct. 8, 2005 Pine Hills Golf Course – 6K Carlton, Minn. Team Results 1. Minnesota 3-5-7-8-9-(17)-(22) 32 2. North Dakota 2-4-6-10-11-(15)-(16) 33 (9 teams competed) Top 10 Individuals 1. Leah Wurm (St. Benedict) 22:29.4 2. Veronica Sackett (North Dakota) 22:31.9 3. Carie Steil (Minnesota) 22:33.8 4. Margaret Landberg (North Dakota) 22:35.0 5. Ariella DePrenger-Gottfried (Minnesota) 22:37.2 6. Jesse Lichter (North Dakota) 22:48.1 7. Stefanie Zeihen (Minnesota) 22:51.9 8. Ayla Mitchell (Minnesota) 23:00.4 9. Natalie Timmers (Minnesota) 23:11.8 10. Callie Malone (North Dakota) 23:15.2 Other Golden Gopher Finishes 17. Jena Trask 23:31.0 24. (16) Brittany Laughlin 24:14.3 49. Ashley Gerjets 25:40.2 91. Rachel Baillon 28:32.7