Cross country teams battle in MCC race

The men’s and women’s cross country teams competed at home last Saturday for the MCC tournament race. The women’s team was able to claim seventh place in the conference while the men’s team placed eighth. Overall, it was a very cool day, making it favorable conditions for several runners; however, the snow on the ground was a struggle both teams experienced. On the women’s side, Sophomore Trisha Miller continued her dominance as she placed fourth overall to lead the Lady Pilots with a time of 18:34.6. Miller battled with Indiana Wesleyan’s top three girls the entire race but was unable to come up with a top three finish; nevertheless, her time earned her all-conference honors. Sophomore Kari Lencke also had a great day as she recorded her best time of 20:49.2 and finished 31st overall. Junior Stephanie Shively was not far behind Lencke as she tied her best time of 21:49.7. Although the men’s team was a little unhealthy going into the race, several of the Pilots were able to step up and perform well. Harrison Fausey continued to lead the Pilots just like he had done all season by recording a time of 26:25.5 and earning 11th place. Sophomore Adam Crawford stepped up for the men’s team as he recorded personal best time of 27:57.0. Senior Drew Bishop also contributed to the Pilots as he recorded a time of 28:34.5. “I enjoyed the conditions and it was something you don’t get to experience very often in cross country,” Fausey said. “We had a tough day, but Adam had a 50 second personal best which was encouraging for our team.” Both teams will now prepare for the NCCAA National Championship which will be held at Cedarville, Ohio, next Saturday November 13.