The SVSU men’s and women’s cross country teams placed fourth and eighth, respectively, at the Lewis Conference Crossover in Romeoville, Illinois.
The meet featured a slew of Midwest universities, as well as schools as far away as Oregon and Washington, and featured nearly 300 runners in each race.
“I thought (both teams) represented themselves really well,” men’s and women’s cross country coach Jason Hartmann said. “Both sides have a lot of growth to tap into for the rest of the season, but I thought they showed themselves and represented really well based on where their fitness is.”
Top finishers for SVSU included seniors Allison Dorr, who placed fifth overall with a time of 21:55.30 for the women, and Tom Goforth, who finished in fourth overall with a time of 24:44.00 for the men.
“(Dorr and Goforth) looked strong,” Hartmann said. “They trained really heavy this summer, and they’re putting themselves in some elite company when you’re competing against the type of athletes that were here from different regions.”
Senior Sophia Bradley also had a strong showing for the women, placing 52nd with a time of 23:16.50.
“I am really excited about my performance (Saturday),” Bradley said. “It’s given me a lot of confidence to push my expectations and limits in the upcoming championship season. The team ran really strong (Saturday).”
Sophomore Morgan Fuerst was not far behind Bradley, finishing 53rd with a time of 23:17.70. Sophomore Jenna Keiser closely trailed Bradley and Fuerst, finishing in 23:18.60, good for 55th place.
Sophomore Maggie Pawelczyk, junior Rebecca Estep and junior Sydney Kreger rounded out top-100 finishes for SVSU.
Following Goforth for the men’s team was freshman Ryan Talbott, finishing in 31st with a time of 25:33.30.
“I thought (Talbott) ran really well for us (Saturday),” Hartmann said.
Not far behind was senior Parker Eisengruber, who finished in 25:34.90, good for 32nd.
Junior Austen Mandernach rounded out the top-50 for SVSU, finishing in 40th with a time of 25:42.80. Junior Nate Frasier was close behind, finishing in 52nd after running a 25:52.40.
Looking at the future, the team feels that it has the focus and determination to keep improving.
“The most important thing for the upcoming meets will be to put our heads down and keep working hard,” Bradley said. “We can’t take any success for granted. Doing the little things to stay healthy and working on pack running will be crucial as well.”
Both teams’ next competition will be in two weeks at the Wayne State Invitational in Detroit on Saturday, Oct. 20.
