Blake Rudd  /  Senior  /  President

​Hey guys! I’m Blake and I couldn’t be more excited to be your president this year! I’m looking forward to getting the club back on track after the pandemic and want to make sure every runner has a voice. I’m originally from Eau Claire, Wisconsin and I’ll be a senior here at the U studying civil engineering and architecture. I love to compete and consider myself more of a mid-distance guy so catch me in the 800, 1500, and of course the 4x4, though I love hopping in XC races too. When I’m not running I love to hit the weight room, exploring the outdoors, and listening to music. Hit me up about anything running or just to say hi!

Alek Wormuth  /  Junior  /  Vice President of Distance

Hey everyone! My name is Alek Wormuth and I will be your Vice President of distance this year, working with our coaches, president, and race team director to ensure that our run club continues being the best run club in the entire world. After such a disappointing and difficult prior year, I can’t wait to get our club back on track to killing it at races, having kick ass social events, and providing a welcoming environment to meet a bunch of new awesome people. This year I will be a Jr. (time really flies) studying Supply Chain and Entrepreneurial Management. When it comes to running, I love racing all distances, but the 800 and mile/1500 have a special place in my heart. As for a little bit about be, I’m easy going, have a fraternal twin brother, am half Polish and was born in NYC! I can’t wait to meet a lot of new TURC’ers this upcoming season. Again if you guys have any questions/suggestions about club (or just want to talk about running) definitely reach out, I’d love to help!

Cole Deweese  /  Senior  /  Vice President of Sprints

Hello TURCers! My name is Cole Deweese, and I am beyond stoked to be your VP of Sprints this year! I’m a senior here at the U and am studying sustainable systems management. As far as racing goes, my favorite track events to complete in are the high jump and 400m hurdles, but I’m always down for a 4x4. Although I have, for the most part, hung up the XC spikes since high school, I will impulsively hop in an 8k on occasion. A couple things I like to geek out over are National forests/parks (or just camping in general), disc golf, and chess. One thing I would love to set up this year are jumping practices for field event athletes, so feel free to reach out to me if you are interested!

Cassie Davis /  Senior  /  Treasurer

Hey there, TURC! My name is Cassie (she/her), and I’m beyond pumped to be your Treasurer and handle all things finances for the 2021-2022 school year. I’m originally from Kansas City, KS, but I feel right at home in TURC. This upcoming year I’ll be a senior studying psychology, and I’m hoping to become an advisor or counselor someday. As a runner, I’m a fan of long-distance, so you’ll probably catch me running everything between the mile and marathon. I’m training for the Twin Cities Marathon this fall, so if you ever want a long run buddy, don’t hesitate to hit me up! Besides the obvious (running), my hobbies include hiking, knitting, biking, and cooking. Most important of my traits, however, is that I’m a nerd for all things organization, and nothing much makes me happier than an updated calendar or clean room. I’m always down for a run or to just chat, so please reach out! I’m so excited you’re a part of run club! 

Willem Gokemeijer  /  Junior  /  Race Team Director

Hello, my name is Willem. I’m the Race Team Director this year and I’m thrilled to have some real races this season! I grew up in Pittsburgh and then moved to Edina when I was nine. This does mean I’m a big Pittsburgh sports fan, but I like the Minnesota teams too. I ran XC and track throughout high school and have had a ton of fun running with TURC the past two years. I have always been partial to Cross Country and longer distances, but I do love a good 4X4 during the track season. Outside of running, I’m a junior majoring in Econ and Journalism. As far as hobbies I enjoy watching sports and movies. Finally, one fun fact about me is that my Dad is from the Netherlands, so I have dual citizenship and can sort of speak Dutch. If you have any questions about competing with TURC, or just want to chat, feel free to hit me up!
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Matt Cota /  Senior  /  Men's Distance Captain

Hi everyone! I’m Matt and I’ll be your distance captain/distance coach for the 2021-2022 school year! I was born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota and I’ll be a senior this year at the U. I’m very excited to lead and coach the distance team this year! I’ll be responsible for writing and timing the distance workouts, assisting with injury prevention, and cheering like crazy for all club runners during races. I’m majoring in Political Science and love talking all things politics. In my free time I enjoy drinking coffee and reading the news, watching movies, playing guitar, and listening to jazz. Feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions about training, racing, injury, or just about any other running related topic!

Katherine Tomaska /  Senior /  Women's Distance Captain

Hi everyone!! My name is Katherine, and I’m very excited to be the women’s distance captain for the 2021-2022 school year. I’ll be assisting with training plans and workouts, especially focusing on supporting the women in TURC.  I love the inclusive, uplifting spirit of run club, and I’m looking forward to another great year of running! My favorite events are mid-distance, but I really just love to race. I grew up in Elmhurst, Illinois (any Long Green Line fans?!) but after coming to school here, I think Minnesota might be the best state in the Midwest. This year, I’ll be a senior majoring in environmental/ecological engineering with a minor in plant biology. In addition to running, I love reading, traveling, and running while traveling! When I spent a semester in Hong Kong, I joined my exchange school’s run club. While I can’t say it beat TURC, it was pretty cool to experience how running brings so many people together around this world. If you have any questions or suggestions about running with our distance team, or anything else, I’d love to talk! 

Beirgen Gunhus-Dansdill /  Junior /  Sprint & Field Captain

Hello there! My name is Beirgen and I’m super excited to be the sprint and field captain this year! I’m a junior studying mechanical engineering here at the U. I’m from the small(ish) town of Decorah, Iowa (in the very northeastern corner of the state). I ran both cross country and track in high school, but I’ve officially retired from the former. With that being said, I still love hitting track workouts and competing in the shorter sprints (100, 200, and the classic 4x4 now and then). When I’m not running or in the books, I enjoy playing ultimate frisbee, mountain biking, watching football, playing some Minecraft, and all things Star Wars. If you’re interested in anything sprints or field related, feel free to reach out!



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Mackenzie Thayer /  Senior  /  Travel Coordinator

​Hi, fellow TURCers, my name is Mackenzie and I'm excited to be your Travel Coordinator this year! I'm a senior majoring in Neuroscience and minoring in Spanish and my goal is to become a PA. I'm from South Milwaukee, Wisconsin and I love my Culver's (best post-meet meal). When it comes to racing I love XC and anything a mile or longer on the track. Although, I do enjoy the occasional 4x8. Outside of school and running I like to explore new parks or spooky places! I also have an unhealthy addiction to binge-watching TV shows so hmu for recommendations. You can catch me watching all the good (and weird) shows on the History channel, like my fav, The Curse of Oak Island (I don't care if there's no treasure I'm still watching)! As a club member in my fourth year and as the Travel Coordinator I highly encourage joining the race team, it's the best way to meet fellow clubbers and it's fun! I can't wait to meet you all, feel free to reach out to me any time.

Shannon McCoshen  /  Junior /  Social Media and Event Coordinator

Hi friends! My name is Shannon and I’m super (duper!) excited to be the Social Media and Social Events Officer this year. I’m from Superior, Wisconsin, and I’m studying Neuroscience here at the U. I love all things Christmas, Disney, and Taylor Swift! I also love to talk and laugh; you’ll likely be able to hear me from at least 1600m away :) Throughout the year, I’ll be planning our social events and managing our social media accounts. Be sure to follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Tik Tok, and Spotify @mnrunclub and add us as a friend on snapchat @minnesotarun. As far as running goes, the longer the distance of a race the better, but I’m a firm believer in competing in any event that sounds fun leading up to race day. This club has been the highlight of my college experience thus far, and I’ve met my greatest friends through it. I can’t wait for you all to experience the same! Never, ever hesitate to reach out if you need anything or with any new idea, question or concern. Happy running! 

Katrina Mousel  /  Junior /  Community Outreach and Fundraising

What’s up squad! My name is Katrina and it’s my pleasure to be your Community Outreach/Fundraising Officer this year. I’m from Eau Claire, Wisconsin and I hold a lot of midwest pride. I’m a junior studying chemistry and human physiology and I hope to be a PA. Some of my favorite things include apple crisp, Spotify, watching rom coms with my mom, and traveling. I really enjoy daily runs with TURC, cheering teammates on in races, and hopping in the occasional race myself (although sometimes this results in being stopped by a train mid-race). I have a heart for service and am looking forward to volunteering with you all this year through various opportunities. Excited to get to know you all; please reach out at any time! See you soon!
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Isaac Maruyama  /  Sophomore /  Recruitment

Hi everyone! My name is Isaac, and I'm so excited to be your recruitment officer this year! I'm from White Bear Lake, Minnesota (go bears!) and I'm currently a sophomore studying political science and economics. I love racing and training for both cross country and track and field, so you can catch me running with TURC pretty much any day! And if I'm not running or working on school, there's a good chance I'm listening to music or playing the guitar. (Did I mention I'm in an aspiring indie rock band?) Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions you might have about TURC or running in general, I'd be happy to help out in any way I can!