The Kentucky Wesleyan cross country teams competed at the G-MAC Championships on Saturday, with the women taking eighth out of the 13 teams there.
“As a team I think we did very well,” said Lucy Knutson. “Everyone did their best for what they had today, and in the end that’s all that matters. We ran closer together as a team. We pushed each other, encouraged one another, and we came and conquered like a team. I’m proud of everyone today.”
Continuing her strong season was Abigail Lesniak, who led the Panthers with a 6k time of 23:39, good for 40th out of 134 athletes. Karlee Hoffman jumped up 15 spots after the halfway mark to take 47th with a time of 23:56, just a few seconds off her personal best. Also running well was Emery Crume, who came through three seconds off her personal best with a 24:35, good for 65th place.
Fresh off an injury, sophomore Kate Keller was the fourth Wesleyan finisher, coming through just under the 25 minute mark with a time of 24:59. Sarah Vanderhoof ran a time of 26:05, while Knutson finished in 26:12. Rounding out for the Panthers was Jaiden Davis (26:44), Abby Greene (27:48), and Raffa Gano (30:04).
Head Coach Sol Stephens said “the women results are showing the team improving from last year. We still haven’t put together our complete race yet but I was hopeful the stars aligned today to maximize their talents. We’ve battled health issues from start through today but it’s a good picture of resilience we’ve needed this season. We were perfect through 2000 meters, fell off the pace but got back on pace to pass people on the backside lap. I couldn’t be more proud of the effort distributed today. One more race to still accomplish successes.”
The men had two individuals finish, with James Loi taking 120th with an 8k time of 29:46, and Hayden McDermott taking 139th with a 32:23.
“Life is a journey. Full of up and downs but at the end of day we did what we can and move on,” said Loi “For the youngins, reflect and see how to keep getting better one step at a time.”
“The men had a rocky road all season but they are bonded in the journey. We all knew it would be an helpful climb but they showed up day in and day out working to get better. There’s statistics that say so, even though the scoresheet doesn’t reflect their improved effort. I want to purposely congratulate Loi on all that’s he has given over these 2 seasons guiding the youngins. We’re going to get healed and healthy then prepare for track season for we all know what the needs are to continue improving.” – Stephens.
Wesleyan will close out their season November 19th when they head to Kenosha, Wisconsin for the NCAA Regional.
