Statesmen Conclude Regular Season in South Dakota
Yankton, S.D.–The William Penn cross country teams got one final preparation in the books before the league meet as it competed at the Mount Marty Invitational Saturday.
The Statesmen men placed ninth out of 12 teams with 225 points, while Dordt was first with 28 points. The women were unable to post a team score, while NCAA Division II Sioux Falls claimed the team crown with 34 points.
Joe Anderson of Dordt won the men’s 8K race, guiding the 145-member field in a time of 25:00.70. Khot Juac of Sioux Falls was the women’s 5K champion (148 runners) in 18:02.06.
Max Finley (Fr., Richville, N.Y., Secondary Education) headlined three WPU harriers in the men’s top 50 as he finished 19th in 26:38.98.
Brandon Williams (So., Fountain, Colo., Civil Engineering) was next in 35th at 27:14.69, while Jonah Heckenberg (Jr., Stockport, Iowa, Business Management) took 47th at 27:47.36.
Rashad Felder (Fr., Cookeville, Tenn., Software Engineering), in 114th at 30:59.80, and Chace Hamilton (So., Melrose, Iowa, Undecided), in 128th at 32:44.01, rounded out the team scoring.
Ethan Varvelo (Fr., Channelview, Texas, Engineering) paced the remaining Statesmen on the course in 130th (33:05.40).
Michaela Kmiec (Sr., Centerville, Texas., Exercise Science) was WPU’s top female, crossing the line in 91st place in a time of 22:00.30. Elizabeth Hele (Sr., Victorville, Calif., Biology) was close behind her in 97th at 22:11.63, while Roselaure Fuller (So., Pella, Iowa, Nursing) finished 137th at 24:16.27.
“I thought we ran well on both sides,” Head Coach Caleb Drake said. “The course was more difficult than our last race and we dealt with more weather as well. The teams were able to compete against several ranked teams, which is always great to learn from. My biggest encouragements are the mental pieces we took away. I think we are in a great spot entering the conference meet in two weeks.”
Next Up: William Penn takes a week off before traveling to Ankeny on November 5 to compete in the Heart of America Athletic Conference Championship.
