Cross Country | 12/1/2021 5:39:00 PM
The 2021 Cross Country season was one of the most exceptional in history for the Maroon and Gold. It saw the Gophers’ women’s program claim their third Big Ten Conference Championships titles, both individually and as a team, four 6K race times edging their way into the program’s top-10 all-time list, the fourth NCAA Midwest Region team title in program history and most recently, the second-highest NCAA Championship finish in program history at seventh.
Of the many historic feats accomplished, however, there was one which stood above the rest. The top-three scoring Gophers at the 2021 NCAA Championships, Bethany Hasz, Megan Hasz and Abby Kohut-Jackson, all earned All-American honors, becoming the first threesome of female student-athletes to do so in a single season in program history and consequently decimating the program’s record books in the process.
GOING ALL OUT FOR ALL AMERICAN
After earning the same distinction at the 2020 NCAA Championships only months prior, Bethany claimed the highest Gopher finish of the meet once again, landing seventh at the meet and tying Megan Duwell for the highest individual finish in program history. For the remainder of the trio, however, the All-American honors marked the first of their careers.
For Megan, the honor was something she’s been chasing for years. She managed to break into the top-100 in her second season rocking the Maroon and Gold, but had missed in each year since due various issues such as injuries. Finally hitting that mark, and doing so in a spot as high as 23rd, was something she’ll always remember.
“It meant a lot,” said Megan. “In my opinion, I’ve arguably always underperformed at nationals besides last season when I was hurt, so it was great just going out there being able to be in that place for my team and myself. Especially coming down the home stretch, it was really exciting. I heard people around me saying that we were around 30ish, and I wasn’t really sure if I was going by people or if they were going by me at that point. If you’d have asked me post-race, I would have guessed I was around 30-35, so hearing that I was 23rd was really exciting. It wasn’t quite everything I wanted, but it was a great result for the day. Seeing Bethany had finished ahead of me, and then turning and seeing Abby finishing just…
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