By Eli Hatfield · Contributing Writer
The Grove City College cross country teams opened their seasons with an overwhelming victory for the women and a close second for the men.
The teams competed at the Westminster College meet Sept. 4. Despite the muggy conditions, both teams competed well.
The course was 5,000 meters long and around Westminster’s Brittain Lake. Seventy-five men and 76 women competed.
The women’s team scored only 22 points, and senior runner Cayla Lawrence finished first with a time of 19:34.6.
Freshman Josie Jones finished with a time of 19:40.5, junior Rebekah Burger had a time of 19:59.8 and junior Juliana Lindberg completed the race with a time of 20:57.3. The three of them took second, third and fifth place, respectively.
In addition, sophomore Erika Doolittle finished in 21:29.7, good for 11th, junior Abigail Nelson took 16th with a time of 21:40.6, sophomore Lydia Wheaton finished 19th with a time of 21:59.1 and junior Maggie Mollenauer crossed the finish line at 21:59.9, coming in 20th.
“The women had a very strong meet overall; they took control of the race early and persevered well to maintain it,” Grove City cross country coach Paul Collier said. “Hopefully, we can keep this going.”
The men’s team also performed exceptionally well, taking second and scoring 37 points. Sophomore Colsen Frank took first overall with a time of 16:16.0.
Also placing in the top ten were sophomore Kaiden Williams, who earned seventh place with a time of 17:01.3, and Carson Witt, who came in eighth with a time of 17:03.3.
Freshman Isaac Burt finished in 17:10.5, which earned him 11th, sophomore Tyler Davis finished 12th with a time of 17:12.8, sophomore Same Elston earned 13th with a time of 17:18.7 and senior James Yoho came in 14th with a time of 17:19.6.
“The men’s team had a strong opener. I got to see a clearer picture of where we are, as well,” Collier said. “Now, with some small tactical tweaks, I think we can take a strong step forward.”
Looking at the rest of the season, Collier believes the teams are in a strong position.
“My hope is they’re encouraged by this early result and excited to see where they can go from here,” he said.
