Pair of Bronzes for WPU to Open Harrier Campaign
Bettendorf–The Statesmen cross country seasons began with a trip to the east side of the state as William Penn competed in the St. Ambrose Invitational Saturday.
The William Penn men placed third out of seven teams with 70 points, while the women were also third (out of six squads) with 94 points. Mount Mercy swept the team crowns.
Emmanuel Kiprop of Carl Sandburg CC took the men’s 8K crown with a time of 26:20, while Deanna Newhouse of Mount Mercy was the women’s 5K champion at 19:15.
William Penn had three males in the top 10 of the 56-person field, led by Max Finley (Fr., Richville, N.Y., Secondary Education) taking fifth at 27:42 in his inaugural collegiate race. Brandon Williams (So., Fountain, Colo., Civil Engineering) was right behind him in seventh at 27:44, while Jonah Heckenberg (Jr., Stockport, Iowa, Business Management) took ninth at 28:06.
A 21st-place finish was posted by William De Jesus (Sr., Homestead, Fla., Biology) in a time of 29:40, while Axel Vazquez (Sr., Wray, Colo., Sports Management) wrapped up the team scoring by crossing the line in 30:58 for 32nd overall.
DaMonte Sherod (Jr., Florissant, Mo., Mechanical Engineering) (37th, 31:38) led the remainder of the Statesmen lineup.
Previously only a track athlete for WPU, Elizabeth Hele (Sr., Victorville, Calif., Biology) proved she is strong on the cross country circuit as well, leading the women in 15th (53 total runners) with a time of 22:14.
Delana Jordan (Sr., Addison, Texas., Business Management) was just a few seconds behind her teammate at 22:20 to take 17th, while Michaela Kmiec (Sr., Centerville, Texas., Exercise Science) ended up 22nd at 22:57.
Roselaure Fuller (So., Pella, Iowa, Nursing) was next in 26th at 24:00, and Morgan Taylor (Fr., Galesburg, Ill., Nursing) concluded the Statesmen competitors in 50th (28:51).
“Max, Brandon, and Jonah all ran very well on the men’s side,” Head Coach Caleb Drake said. “Elizabeth was strong in her first cross country race as well. In spite of the warm weather and how hilly the course was, we had a lot of personal bests, so this was a good start to our season.”
Next Up: William Penn takes a week off, returning to action September 24 for the Grand View Invitational in Des Moines.
