GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- The Indiana Wesleyan University women’s cross country team defeated three teams in front of them in the national poll en route to a third place finish in the 35-team NAIA Great Lakes Challenge held in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
No. 19 Indiana Wesleyan scored 135 points and was a mere 13 points behind the winner No. 15 Shawnee State (Ohio) with 122 points. No. 11 Aquinas (Mich.) was only four points ahead of Indiana Wesleyan for second place at 131 points.
Indiana Wesleyan defeated No. 4 Taylor (Ind.), No. 12 Saint Francis (Ill.), and No. 17 Olivet Nazarene (Ill.). In all, there were six teams ranked in the NAIA Top-25 Coaches’ Poll and seven other teams receiving votes at the challenge.
“This was a real surprise,” said IWU head coach John Foss. “We took third place and we were just four points behind Aquinas for second place. And Shawnee State had 122 points so we were just 13 points from winning it. I was very pleased with our performance today.”
Taylor Hite (SR/Ligonier, Ind.) earned a top-10 finish in the 367-runner competition. Hite was ninth overall in a time of 18:51. Sarah McBeath (SO/LeHigh Acres, Fla.) was close behind Hite in 14th place with a time of 19:00 on the 5,000-meter course.
“We had a really great race again from Taylor Hite as she was ninth place,” continued Foss. “We were real happy with Sarah McBeath today who finished 15th in 19 flat. That was her best race of the year and a big step up race.”
Isabel Wharton (JR/Laurel, Del.) ran a 19:17 for 25th place, Brooke Horswell (JR/Charleston, W.Va.) crossed the line in 19:27 for 33rd position, and Megan Sanchez (SO/Hudsonville, Mich.) was the final scorer for the Wildcats with a 19:45 for 56th place. Kailynne Tangeman (SR/Marysville, Ohio) was the sixth Wildcat to finish as she ran a 19:49 for 63rd place and Katherine Arch (JR/Iowa City, Iowa) was seventh with a 19:54 for 67th place.
Indiana Wesleyan races again in two weeks at the Crossroads League Championship. The meet will be contested at 11 a.m. on Saturday, November 8 in Upland, Indiana.
