It was a solid day for the Eagle Men's and Women's cross country teams as they competed at the Bob Schultz Invitational on Friday, August 30th.
On the men's side, there was incredible promise for the season ahead, even though they raced a 5k instead of the typical 8k distance. Highlights include Benjamin Driscoll leading the team with a time of 17:13. Next was Samuel Stapley, who ran nearly a one-minute 5k personal record from high school, finishing at 17:41, just ahead of Matthew Hanselman at 17:53. Christian Vandekrol came in at 18:59, which was over 2 minutes faster than his 5k time from last season, and Caleb Ness finished at 19:09, about 25 seconds faster than his opening 5k from a season ago. All five runners on the men's team completed the race faster than any 5k race from last season, setting the stage for an exciting season to come.
The women's team was ready to compete in their 5k race and qualified for the NCCAA National meet. Anna Coniglio and Auggie Christensen led the way for the women, finishing at 22:36 and 22:44, respectively. Despite battling an illness, Kate Janzen stepped up and delivered a solid performance with a time of 23:34. Newcomers Riley Rath and Bria Tuttle, both running their first-ever cross country races, made a significant impact with times of 25:50 and 27:50, respectively, helping to secure the team's qualifying spot for the NCCAA nationals.
Up Next...
The Eagles return to action on Friday, September 6th, at the Central Dutch Invitational in Pella, IA, beginning at 6:00 PM.