Holaday Qualifies for Nationals at Central Invitational

Coach Long pleased with the first meet of 2018 season

Holaday Qualifies for Nationals at Central Invitational
September 3, 2018

PELLA, Iowa--The Faith Cross Country team arrived at Central College in Pella early Friday night as storm clouds rolled in.  The heaviest rain arrived during the first mile of the men's 6K race, but the lightning stayed away, allowing runners to complete their mission.  Despite the weather and muddy conditions, the course remained in good condition, allowing Faith's runners to compete at near-peak levels.

The men's team consists of junior Ryan Hughes, who represented the team well with a time of 24:03.  This was the only 6K event of the season, with the rest of the men's races at the 8K distance.  Since it wasn't an 8K, it didn't meet the criteria to be a qualifying race for Nationals, but it did give Coach Long a good indication of where the team is at with conditioning. 
 
"We were pleased with his time, and are looking forward to next week's race at Grinnell College where he will have an opportunity to compete in our first 8K event of the season," said Coach Long.
 
The women's team has four members: Taylor England (a senior), sophomores Katyln Holaday and Emily Jo Taylor, and freshman Chelsea Ratliff.  All of the ladies ran well, led by Katlyn who had a top 20 finish.  Katlyn's time of 22:41 makes her the first Faith squad member to qualify for the NCCAA National XC Meet in November.  Chelsea Ratliff finished next for the Faith women with a time of 25:00, just seconds away from the national meet qualifying time, and Taylor soon after with a time of 25:12.  Despite fighting shin splints last week, Emily Jo was able to run strong throughout the 5K course, completing it in a time of 27:48. 
 
The team will get some much-needed rest over the holiday weekend and prepare for their next race, which is Saturday, September 8 in Grinnell. Coach Long asks for prayer for healing and safety this week as they continue to work on conditioning and is thankful for the fans that were able to come out support the cross country program at Friday's Central Invitational.