Cross Country Opens with Second Places at Home Invite
Freshmen debuts boost Wittenberg Cross Country as they open their 2018 campaign.
Tigers fall to regional foe Trine in season opener, but freshmen additions boost both programs to second place finishes on Friday night.
The freshmen led the Tigers for the women, claiming five of the seven scoring positions. The women's team tallied 34 points on the evening, only nine away from Trine's 23. Lauren Welker made her college debut at the Clark County Fairgrounds, crossing the line third overall. Coming in at 21:06.0, she was shortly followed by a Rio Grande runner and freshman teammate Elizabeth Canright three seconds later.
Sophomore Erika Bournival, coming in at 21:17.9, led the veteran runners in red and white. Annalee Lynn and Morgan Ely worked together positions four and five to round out the top positions, clocking in at 22:35.3 and 22:46.7 respectively in 11th and 12th overall.
The men marked a phenomenal 53-second spread, however found it difficult to compete with Trine's 15-point performance. It was freshman Cullen Sainey who led the Tiger charge, working closely with senior Charles Rodeheffer. The duo came through the line eighth and ninth respectively, clocking 16:50.5 and 17:00.4. Both paced roughly 5:25 per mile.
Following a 27-second gap, a trio of Tigers came down the final stretch in a quick finish. Senior Jersson Pachar finished 16th overall with a time of 17:27.4, narrowly missing a duo of opposing Trine and Rio Grande runners in a well-fought battle. Ryan Zimmerman and Miles Caine soon passed through the timer to end their race and complete the top-five. Zimmerman completed his first college race with a time of 17:36.5, meanwhile Caine begins his second season with a 17.43.5 five-kilometer finish.
Both programs will travel to Powell, Ohio to compete in the Ohio Wesleyan Invitational on September 15.