Men’s Team Finishes Sixth at Nationals; Kluver PR’s for Women
JOPLIN, Missouri—It was a beautiful and chilly morning in Joplin, Missouri, on Friday for the start of the NCCAA National Cross Country meet. The sun was shining, the temperature was in the mid-30s, and there was a slight breeze. Nearly perfect running conditions!
The women's 5k was first, with Caressa Kluver running for the Eagles. Kristin Yuan had qualified for Nationals earlier in the season, but injured her knee in the regional soccer tournament a week ago, and wasn't able to race. Caressa ran a great race, finishing in the top half of the field with a time of 23:00. This was a PR for her, and she was just a half second away from breaking 23 minutes!
The men's 8k was up next, with five Eagles racing. In their first-ever appearance as a men's team at Nationals, the Eagles performed admirably, finishing in sixth place. First up for the Eagles was David Loveall, finishing in ninth place with an outstanding time of 28:11! This was a personal best for David by over a minute! Conrad Lobb was next for the Eagles team, finishing in 20th place, also setting a new PR, and breaking the 30-minute barrier with a time of 29:51! Jeremy Kamberger ran well, finishing in 31:57, close to his PR from earlier in the season.
Rounding out the men's team were Ben and Andy Hackley. The twin brothers joined the Eagles squad after pre-season training had completed, so they started at a disadvantage. However, they both worked hard to catch up through the remainder of the season, and cut more than five minutes off their 8k times from the beginning of the season! Both of them looked good at the first mile in 6:15, and finished with a sub-7 minute pace! Ben finished in 34:36, and Andy in 34:56.
Coach Long was extremely impressed with the effort that each one gave in order to glorify God with the talents He has given them! It was a great season, and while we will miss those who are graduating, we are looking forward to seeing what God will do through these athletes next year! Thank you for your prayers and support throughout the season!
