<men’s cross-country team continues to work it this season. Walking into Chipotle after the race, they were asked, “Did you win the tournament?” The amazed Carls thought for a moment, then said, “Why, yes! Yes, we did win!” Fifty percent of cross-country teams don’t get to say that every weekend.
Not only did they win, but they beat the University of Minnisota’s JV squad as well as University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, which was ranked fifth in the nation in Division III last week.
Simone Childs-Walker ‘12 led them according to plan. Childs-Walker worked in the lead pack, chasing down the leader and fighting with her through the finish. Childs-Walker would place second in the competition.
Alison Smyth ’12 finished next for the Knights, taking fifth overall. She could do no more than catch her breath before she turned around and saw Taylor Ffitch ’12 cross the line. Ffitch was 14th overall, closely followed by Rachael Klehm ’13. Becca Herd ’15 rocked the last thousand to take 24th in the competition, looking very happy at the finish. Nearly all five of these racers finished in under 23 minutes (6:11 per mile), an amazing accomplishment.
Rachel Kittaka ’12 and Colette Celichowski ’15 continued to make an impact for the Knights, finishing ahead of Luther College’s (the second placing team in the region) fourth and fifth runners. Kaitlin Randolph ’12 had another outstanding race, closing on Celichowski to put eight Knights under 24 minutes. They say times do not matter in cross-country, but it would be hard to deny the Knights’ depth.
Carrie Harshbarger ’13 had another huge PR, running 24:08. She ran 70 seconds faster than last year at this course. Haley Johnson ’13 showed everything she had, racing with heart. Ahna Weeks ’15 shaved 22 seconds off her best time.
All smiles afterward, Emily Hillmer ’15 had another great race, chasing the pack ahead. She was closely followed by Tori Ostenso ’15. Considering her strong showing this season, many often forget that she had never run cross-country before. Aly Wisekal ’14 had a pain-free achilles and Shannon Mueller ’12 rediscovered her racing self, running 30 seconds faster than she had so far this season.
Mueller was chased by Lindsay Turchan ’15, racing in her home state for the first time since arriving in Northfield. Anna Persmark ’15 followed Turchan across the line, learning what a cross-country race should feel like and that 400-meter runners can be successful at the 6k as well. Averaging under seven minutes per mile over grassy, rolling hills for 3.7 miles is no small feat.
Lauren Chow ’14 finished next for the Knights, driving through the finish. Aurora Janes ’15 also returned to racing successfully, competing pain-free for the first time since January. She was followed by Milana Socha ’14 and Adrienne Bruder ’14.
Kiera Wilhelm ’15 continues to amaze with her abilities, this time hitting her 5k PR during the 6k competition. Julia Reich ’15 chased her through the finish, followed by Annie Doubleday ’14. Elizabeth Kimberley ’14 took advantage of the last few weeks of training to take 14 seconds off her best time.
The Carls continue to run intelligently and show that they are there to compete. They are taking a break from competition this weekend to get in some solid training and then will be back at it over Mid-Term break.