Harriers Wrap Up Regular Season
Cedar Rapids–The William Penn cross country teams hit the course one final time prior to their league meet as the Statesmen battled at the NAIA Seminole Valley Stampede hosted by Mount Mercy Saturday.
The women finished 15th out of 20 teams with 409 points, while Dordt won the team crown with 62 points. On the men’s side, WPU was 18th out of 20 with 469 points; Saint Mary (Kan.) was first with 25 points.
Vanessa Cortez of host Mount Mercy claimed the title in the women’s 5K competition in a time of 18:41.5, while Paul Becker of Saint Mary (Kan.) won the men’s 8K race in a time of 24:54.3.
Michaela Kmiec (Fr., Centerville, Texas, Exercise Science) guided the navy and gold female contingency, taking 77th in the 188-person field at 21:23.2. Talaysia Douver (So., Lakewood, Calif., Sociology) was just a few seconds behind her, ending up 81st at 21:30.7.
Ashlee Johnson (Fr., Marshalltown, Iowa, Sociology) narrowly missed the top 100 as she was 109th at 22:29.6, while Madison Udy (So., American Falls, Idaho, Exercise Science) placed 127th with a time of 23:05.7.
Michelle Reyes (Jr., Brownsville, Texas, Biology) made her season debut and crossed the line in a time of 23:36.6 to finish 138th. Zena Cohuo (Fr., Carrollton, Texas, Exercise Science) also competed for William Penn (149th, 24:12.8).
Kenneth Bolton III (So., South Riding, Va., Business Management) headlined WPU’s efforts in the 201-person men’s run, placing 105th at 28:58.1, while William De Jesus (Fr., Homestead, Fla., Biology) was in the same pack as his teammate with a time of 29:19.2 to finish 113th.
David Williams (Sr., Victor, Iowa, Secondary Education) was next for the Statesmen as he was 161st at 31:12.0. Axel Vazquez (Wray, Colo., Sports Management) (163rd, 31:19.5) and Jack Miller (So., Oskaloosa, Iowa, Physical Education) (171st, 31:38.5) rounded out the varsity scoring.
Gabriel Webster (So., Worland, Wyo., Psychology and Sociology) paced the remaining navy and gold runners as he was 187th in a time of 33:11.8.
Next Up: William Penn takes a week off, returning on Saturday, November 9 to compete in the Heart of America Athletic Conference Championships in Fayette, Mo.
