Press Release written by Nathan Foltz
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - - The Wilmington University cross country teams faced some tough competition at Lock Haven University on Saturday, but that didn't stop them from setting a number of new records.
The men entered the week ranked 6th in the East Region by the USTFCCCA Poll, while the women were 8th. Up first on the day were the men, who finished 11th out of 22 schools, followed by the women, who finished 20th out of 21 schools. Eight of the men set new personal records, as did three of the women.
Leading the way again for the men was Julian Jones, who finished 9th overall with a time of 24:46.80. Not only is that a new personal best time, but it's also a school record for the men's 8k. Behind him were a slew of additional personal record finishes, with Carter Sparwasser in 77th place with a 26:30.30 time, Reggie Hernandez in 81st running a 26:35.70, Skyler Pearson in 103rd in 26:51.70, Julian Rich in 130th with a 27:19.20, Cooper Schmidt in 133rd in 27:21.80, Braeden Peterson in 156th crossing the line in 28:04.30, and Kevin Gonzalez finishing in 28:30.20 for 166th place. Zach Souders finished 174th in 29:21.50, while Nicholas Licup rounded out the men's lineup in 33:31.40 to finish 202nd out of 204 finishers.
Indiana (Pa.)'s Mike Formica won the Men's 8000-meter Crimson race with a time of 24:12.70 followed by NCAA DI St. Bonaventure's Clay Peets with a time of 24:15.10. Charleston (W.Va.) won the meet with 71 points, followed by Walsh's 79 points. The Wildcats' finished 11th overall with 340 points.
On the women's side, Tiffany Banning paced the Cats for the first time this season, with a time of 24:24.40 to finish 108th in the 6k. Twin sister Sammy Banning was next in 118th place with a time of 24:39.70, followed by Amy Chomo in 129th place in 24:51.20, Madalyn Minnick in 131st running a 24:53.00, Angie Chomo in 165th with a 27:01.70, and Claudia Rodriguez-Arreola in 172nd in 27:51.40. Amy Chomo, Minnick, and Rodriguez-Arreola all set personal bests.
Walsh's Claire Rethman won the Women's 600-meter Crimson race with a time of 20:27.20 followed by Davis & Elkins' Lauren Twyman in second in 21:36.40. Walsh won the event with 28 points followed by Davis & Elkins in second with 66. The Wildcats placed 20th overall with 564 points.
Next up for Wilmington is a trip to Louisville, Kentucky on Saturday, October 4th, where they will compete at Tom Sawyer State Park in a meet hosted by the University of Louisville. The men will be up first at 10:15 a.m., followed by the women at 11:00 a.m.