The University of Minnesota Duluth came in second at the eight-team Minnesota State University-Moorhead Dragon Twilight Friday night in its 2017 opener.

UMD placed five runners among the top 15 finishers en route to posting a team score of 47 points -- 28 points back of meet champion University of Mary. Mary and the Bulldogs were picked 1-2 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Preseason Cross Country poll and occupied the No. 6 and No. 9 spots, respectively,  in the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Preseason NCAA Divison II rankings.  Host Minnesota State-Moorhead was third with 111 points followed by Concordia College of Moorhead (113 pts.) and Minot State University. Minnesota State-Moorhead, Minot State and Bemidji State, which took seventh, are all members of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.

Sophomore Meg Borowski paced UMD by finishing second  overall in the 87-runner, 4,000-meter race with a time of 14.13.3. The next six Bulldog placers included sophomore Melissa Drenckhahn (8th place; 14:13.3), senior Amber Seidenkranz (12th; 14:29.1), freshma Rhianna Rinke (14:36.0), sophomore Lizzie Schlafke (16th; 14:51.6), junior Abby Moore (17th; 14:54.5) and freshman Gabrielle Brinkley (18th; 14:56.6). The Bulldogs were without the services of three-time All-American Emi Trost, the 2017 NSIC Preseason Cross Country Athlete of the Year, who is nursing an injury.

The Bulldogs will visit Northfield, Minn., next Saturday (Sept. 16) for the St. Olaf College Invitational. The Bulldogs are the four-time defending champions at that event.

2017 Dragon Twlight Results