WARSAW, In.--- The Lady Eagles cross country team competed Friday in the National Christian College Athletics Association (NCCAA) National Championship meet in Warsaw, Indiana and came away with the fourth-place team award. The meet was co-hosted by Grace College and Bethel University. This was the fourth consecutive year that the Eagles have finished among the top four NCCAA teams in the country.
Facing cold and wet conditions,
Bailey Gassmann paced her teammates once again. Her 11
th place individual finish was just four seconds short of the position she needed to repeat her All-American performance of a year ago, but her time of 19:36 for the 5 Kilometer course was her best of the season.
The next Eagle to finish was freshman sensation
Emma Groff ran a new personal best of 20:29, followed closely by senior
Sarah Yost who ran her best of the season, 20:36.
Ava Miller was next across the finish line with a season best of 20:58. The final scorer was senior
Ella Morton who closed out her collegiate running career with the fastest performance of her life; 21:11.
Lily Anne Rinehart, a senior, ran well to complete the course in 21:22, twenty-six seconds faster than she ran on this course in the Championship meet a year ago. The remaining Eagles competing were freshman
Adyson Mattingly, who's time of 21:36 bettered her previous best set in high school,
Lucy Kate Gibson with a season best of 21:37,
Sarah Grimes who also finished her college running career with a new PR of 21:54, and
Cosette Meloon who crushed her personal record with a time of 22:28.
Malone University won the national team title by a clear margin, followed by Grace Campbellsville, and the Eagles. Fourteen schools qualified and competed in the finals.
Full team and individual results can be found
here.
"Great performance by an outstanding group of young ladies. This team, especially this group of seniors, has been really special to coach. Their love for each other and the Lord is incredible, and it shows in how they perform in competition. They always give their best to glorify Him."
Randy Crist | Head Cross Country Coach
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