VERSAILLES, Ky.---The Lady Eagles Cross Country team made the short trip to Versailles Friday evening for the Midway University Invitational and ran away with both the individual and team championship awards.
Sophomore
Bailey Gassmann steadily pulled away from the fifty other competitors in the 6 kilometer race (3.8 miles) to win by nearly 20 seconds over Liza Pollio of Georgetown College. Though two minutes behind their All-American teammate, the rest of the Eagle's team put on a great display of pack running with
Ava Miller,
Lily Anne Rinehart,
Sarah Yost, and
Ella Morton sweeping places 9-12, supported by
Adyson Mattingly and
Sarah Grimes claiming the 16th and 17th place finishes.
The final tally had Asbury winning the team title, eight points ahead of host Midway, with Georgetown, UK Club Team, Spalding, Kentucky State, and Pikeville trailing the leaders.
The Eagle men did not fare as well as the ladies, finishing in fourth place among the six scoring teams.
Wes Preston led the team with a 12th place individual finish in the 8 kilometer (5 mile) race.
Tyler Chong,
Josh Rittgers,
Luke Holton, and
Jojo Ernst rounded out the Asbury scoring positions.
The next race for the Eagles will be in two weeks at the Live in Louisville competition on Saturday October 5, hosted by the University of Louisville. This is one of the premier races of the season, annually drawing over 100 teams from across the country.
"I was very pleased with how we competed on such a hot evening on a difficult and dusty course. It was fun to have Bailey win the race individually, but the highlight was the depth we showed as a team. Our seniors, Lily Anne, Ella, Sarah Yost, and Sarah Grimes are stepping up big this season. Tyler Chong is doing the same thing on the men's team, running really well for the second race in a row."
Head Cross Country Coach | Randy Crist
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