WARSAW, In. --- Asbury cross country freshman
Bailey Gassmann finished second place of 55 runners on Friday morning in the NCCAA National Championship race in Warsaw, In. Gassmann led the AU women's team to a third place overall finish while the Asbury men's team took sixth.
Senior captain
Wes Preston led Asbury with a 21st place finish in 26:57.6 for 8K (5 miles).
Dan Kersey (37th),
Cameron Tapp (39th),
Luke Wheatley (50th), and
Josh Rittgers (57th) were the other scorers for the Eagles in their third straight apperance in the NCCAA National Championshp.
The AU women's team was incredible.
Bailey Gassmann finished second overall to become an NCCAA All-American in her first season. She ran an electric 18:52.4 for 5K (3.1 miles), just 12 seconds behind the national champion Emily Staal from the College of the Ozarks.
The runner-up finish by Bailey was the highest place ever by an Asbury runner in the NCCAA finals. Her final time was her best ever in a collegiate race and set the tone for her teammates to also ride to the championship race challenge.
The Eagles raced to third in the team standings in the women's race, one place ahead of last year's fourth place finish.
Brooke O'Carroll ran the best cross country race of her life trimming 33 seconds off of her previous personal best with a time of 20:39.4.
Ava Miller was next across the finish line for the team in 21:11.7.
Katherine Stanley had one of the best races of her career with a time of 21:37.5, and
Lily Anne Rinehart set a new personal record of 21:48.4.
Sarah Yost ran her fastest time of the season with a 22:08.0 race.
Lucy Kate Gibson,
Della Nevitt, and
Elise Terpstra pushed through the discomfort of injuries that have hampered their performances lately to participate in championship meet.
Grace College won the men's race and women's race to be named NCCAA National Champions.
The AU men's team finishes their 2023 season with a first place win and two other top-five finishes.
Asbury women's cross country completes their season with a first place win and three other top-five finishes, including an All-American and third place team finish in Nationals.
"I was so proud of how we ran today. The men did not do as well as the had hoped for, but it was a solid effort. Cameron ran very well in what has been a break out year for him."
"The women's team was incredible. Bailey charged right out with the lead runners and never looked back. Brooke put together the complete race that we've been looking for all year. Lily Anne, in her first ever season of cross country, was amazing."
"This was possibly the last cross country race that our seniors will ever run. Wes, Luke, Kat, Della, and Elise have been such wonderful leaders on the team, and the past few years they've been a part of some of the most successful achievements in the 52 year history of Asbury Cross Country."
Head Coach | Randy Crist
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Thank you to Grace College for the photo!
