WPU Competes at Wartburg Meet for First Action in Three Weeks

Waverly, Iowa–The William Penn women’s cross country team laced up for the first time in three weeks as they battled in the Wartburg Dan Huston Invitational Saturday.

The Statesmen placed 16th out of 21 teams with 409 points, while St. Francis (Ill.) took the crown with 30 points.

Carmen Solis of St. Francis (Ill.) headlined the 198-member field with a 6K time of 22:14.4.

Claire Rye (So., Plymouth, Iowa, Biology) was the first WPU runner across the line, finishing 28th in 23:44.0.

Kennedi Wahmhoff (So., Manton, Mich., Elementary Education) was next for the navy and gold, ending up 82nd at 25:33.0, while London Mellen (Fr., Tallahassee, Fla., Kinesiology) was 119th at 27:02.2.

Amelia Hernandez (Fr., Lubbock, Texas, Nursing), in 153rd place (28:58.5), and Nathaly Peralta (So., Dallas, Texas, New Media), in 178th place (31:06.7), were also part of William Penn’s scoring.

Ava Huffman (Fr., Pella, Iowa, Human Services) ran for the Statesmen as well, finishing 192nd at 34:01.3.

“The ladies took the opportunity to run a little smarter early on in the race, setting themselves up for a strong second half,” Head Coach Caleb Silver said. “I do not think we know what this group is capable of quite yet as we are seeing progress each race.”

“All of our newcomers ran a lifetime best,” Silver added. “Kennedi Wahmhoff had a 36-second PR from last fall, and London Mellen completed her first-ever 6K race. Both had a strong day. Amelia Hernandez was batting some sickness, but fought hard and still came away with a two-minute PR.”

“We are excited to drop down to a 5K this coming Friday, and build more confidence through racing,” Silver said.

Next Up: William Penn travels to Ottumwa next Friday to compete in the Indian Hills CC Invitational at 4 p.m.