ROMEOVILLE, IL- The Cougars headed to the highly competitive Lewis Crossover in Illinois on Saturday morning, and both teams showed out with strong runs among the best in the country. The men claimed third overall as they were one of 13 teams in the top 30 racing. The women took seventh with a strong performance against 10 top 30 teams competing.
The men got the morning started as they took part in the 8k race.
Matthew Storer, a nine time All-American, showed why he is considered one of the best runners in the country as he flew to a second place finish with a blazing fast time of 23:46.98.
Klay Grant followed with a strong run that was good for 12th place with a time of 24:15.96.
Mateo Luna was next in 21st as he raced to a time of 24:27.33, while
Sam Schwarting posted a time of 25:04.34.
Ethan Wampler ran a 25:08.29, and
Hudson Majeski posted a time of 25:17.73.
Isaac Roberts ran a 25:35.02 while
Jay Wood recorded a time of 25:35.91.
Clayton Ackley closed with a 26:19.85 to finish out his race. The team finish of third was excellent for the Cougars as they took down four teams ranked ahead of them and finished second among the RMAC schools competing there. The finish positions CCU well for the postseason with a strong result at a difficult meet of top competitors.
The women came next in the 6k race as they took on a myriad of highly ranked teams.
Shannon King was excellent throughout as she finished in 11th place, posting a time of 21:19.36 to post a season best time.
Lucy Pidek was strong with a run of 22:11.41, and
Britta Holmberg followed with a time of 22:17.43.
Kathryn Miller came next with a run of 22:19.09 while
Ava Maginity posted a time of 23:04.10. Norah Thompson ran a 23:39.18, and
Maleah Wardlaw ran a 23:46.61.
Lorelei Daugherty ran a 24:01.68 while
Rachel Harpt posted a time of 24:21.50. The team claimed seventh place overall, taking down three teams ahead of them in the rankings and claiming second among RMAC schools as well. With Regionals and Nationals coming up, the result is a great one that should bode well in the future.
The team will now have two weeks to prepare for the RMAC Championships on October 26 held at the Gene Torres Golf Course in Las Vegas, New Mexico.
