Success has become a expectation of the No. 7 Minnesota women’s cross country team at the NCAA Midwest Region Championships. The Golden Gophers defended their Midwest Region team title and for the third consecutive year landed six runners on the NCAA All-Midwest Region honor squad. Minnesota also received an automatic qualifying berth into the Nov. 24 NCAA Championships in Terre Haute, Ind.

Minnesota finished with all five of its scoring runners in the top 20 to compile 57 points, bettering Illinois’ runner-up total of 64. Junior Megan Duwell, the Gophers’ number-one runner in every meet this season, finished fourth overall covering 6-kilometer Oklahoma State Cross Country course in Stillwater, Okla., in a time of 20 minutes, 45.25 seconds.

“We ran a great team race today,” said Golden Gopher head coach Gary Wilson. “We went in with the plan to run an aggressive race from the start and our pack did a terrific job is sticking together.”

The Gophers’ next three placewinners were a perfect