Eagles Soar in Pella
(Pella, IA) - The Eagles competed in their first race of the season, with the women running a 5k, and the men running a 6k at the Central Dutch Invitational.
The Faith men's and women's cross country teams took part in their first race of the season on Friday, competing against mostly NCAA D3 and NAIA competition.
The women's race featured seven runners from Faith, with a solid mix of freshmen and returners taking the course. Carlie Blevins led the team with her outstanding 7th place finish, posting a time of 19:56.1. Carlie, along with Becca Hulinsky (22:39.9), and Lydia Mueller (23:35.0), each reached the NCCAA individual qualifying time for the National Championship meet. Karynna Ward (26:14.6) and Alees Stephens (27:29.9) rounded out the top five scorers for the Eagles, and Elizabeth Beenken (28:17.5) and Tina Lange (31:50.9) posted their first times of the season in what was a great race all-around. With a total time of 1:59:55, the women's team has reached the NCCAA team qualifying time for the National Championship meet and have punched their ticket for Nationals in just the first competition of the season!
The men's race followed shortly after and due to being a shorter course, served as a final tuneup for the Eagles as they seek to qualify for Nationals starting next week. Three newcomers Ethan Smith (24:22.7), Titus Loween (24:25.8), and Owen Festler (25:13.7) led the Eagles and posted their first collegiate times. Andrew Hackley (25:35.4) and Ben Hackley (26:18.6) rounded out the scoring for a total team time of 2:05:56 in the first 6k of the season. Although the men won't be able to qualify for nationals until their first 8k, they set good benchmarks this weekend to build on moving forward.
Up Next: Faith Cross Country will run in the Les Duke Invitational in Grinnell, IA on Saturday, September 14th at 10:00 AM (Women), and 10:45 AM (Men).