Statesmen Harriers Compete in Final Regular Season Prep
William Penn University Athletics
St. Louis, Mo.–The William Penn cross country teams had a solid showing in its final regular season event of the year as it competed at the St. Louis Pharmacy Classic Saturday.
The Statesmen men were fifth out of seven teams with 130 points, while Missouri Valley won the team crown with 29 points. The Statesmen women did not field a team, while William Woods (Mo.) took the women’s trophy with 32 points.
Phillip Cheriyout of Missouri Valley was the top men’s runner in the 8K race with a time of 25:42. Samantha Berry of William Woods paced the 5K women’s event with a time of 18:55.
Deane Wichelt (Jr., Durant, Iowa, Mechanical Engineering) led the navy and gold by placing 16th out of 67 runners in 27:43.
Saromo Mugisha (Jr., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Business Management) just missed the top-20, taking 22nd at 28:10.
Quintin Marshall (Sr., St. Louis, Mo., Computer Science) and Nick Thomas (Jr., Salmon, Idaho, Physical Education) were both timed at 29:16, but Marshall just edged out Thomas for 38th place (Thomas was 39th).
Dustin Ewalt (Fr., Clinton, Iowa, History/Government) broke the 30-minute barrier as well with a 44th-place finish in a time of 29:43. Jeremy Mooney (Fr., Clinton, Iowa, Physical Education) was the last WPU runner to cross the line (49th, 30:21).
“I thought our men ran well today,” Coach Cody Ingold said. “We have a couple guys a little banged up, so we will use the next two weeks to get healthy to make a run at the conference title.”
Deja Lewis (Fr., Spring, Texas, Undecided) guided the women’s effort, finishing just outside the top ten in 11th with a time of 20:25.
Rosemary Bailey (Sr., Fayetteville, Ark., Communication) joined her in the top 15 (14th) with a time of 20:31.
Sade Myers (Sr., Honolulu, Hawaii, Elementary Education) was next in 36th place at 22:42, while Corrie Bailey (Sr., Fayetteville, Ark., Communication), who made her cross country debut, hit the line in 54th place at 31:33.
“Deja and Rosemary ran well together to nab those top-15 placings,” Ingold said. “Sade ran a personal best today and Corrie had a good first race after just three weeks of training.”
Next: William Penn returns to action on Saturday, November 9 by traveling to Cedar Rapids for the Midwest Collegiate Conference Championships. The event will be held at Jones Park.
