WILMORE, Ky. --- Both Asbury cross country teams raced to first place finishes along with a Bailey Gassmann individual first place finish on Saturday morning in Wilmore. The Eagles hosted the 50^th edition of the Asbury Invitational in its first year being renamed as the Justin Spoon Fiercely Faithful XC Meet. 

The Fiercely Faithful XC Meets pays tribute to Justin Spoon, the Asbury alum who passed away this past year after a two-year battle with cancer. Spoon was one of the greatest runners ever for Asbury and was a two-time champion in this meet.

"We were blessed to have a perfect day to honor the memory of Justin Spoon," said head coach Randy Crist. "Beautiful weather, good competition, and the fun of winning the first-place team trophies in both the men's and women's races."

The current Eagle squad dominated the competition today with wide margins of victory over Mount Saint Joseph and Spaulding Universities, as well as runners from Welch College, Kentucky Christian University, and the UK and University of Dayton club teams.

Asbury freshman sensation Bailey Gassmann raced to first place in the women's 5 Kilometer contest, finishing nearly a minute ahead of Mount St. Joseph's Kayla Hess. Bailey's time of 19:52 marked only the third time in the last twenty years that an Asbury runner has gone sub-20 minutes on the challenging home course.

Katherine Stanley ran her best race of the season to claim third place, with Ella Morton and Lucy Kate Gibson setting new personal records as they finished fourth and fifth to give AU three runners in the top-five.

Wes Preston and Dan Kersey did their best to stay with Spaulding's Wyatt Frye, but eventually faded to second and third in the final standings of the men's race.

It was an Asbury purple wave behind Preston and Kersey as Cameron Tapp, Josh Rittgers, Davis Brown, and Luke Wheatley all raced to top-ten finishes.

"Justin Spoon loved competing on our home course because it is one of the most difficult in Kentucky and he had the guts to win when facing the toughest conditions.  He showed that same grit as he battled cancer for two years, living fiercely faithful and praising God to the very end.  The courage he showed was an inspiration to so many as they faced challenges, and still is today."

The Eagles next meet will be in two weeks when they travel to Knoxville, TN for their final meet of the regular season.


"Justin Spoon loved competing on our home course because it is one of the most difficult in Kentucky and he had the guts to win when facing the toughest conditions. He showed that same grit as he battled cancer for two years, living fiercely faithful and praising God to the very end. The courage he showed was an inspiration to so many as they faced challenges, and still is today."
Head Coach | Randy Crist


The Eagles next meet will be in two weeks when they travel to Knoxville, Tn., for their final meet of the regular season.


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