The courses were wet, muddy and slippery when Indiana Wesleyan University’s men’s and women’s cross country teams competed on Nov. 19 at the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site in Vancouver, Wash. for the NAIA National Championship.
Ranked No. 15, the women’s team placed 19th with 493 points. The Wildcats struggled with much slower times than during the season.
Coach John Foss said the runners were disappointed because they had hopes of finishing in the top 10, as they did last year, but had to settle for 20th overall.
The first Wildcat to finish the 5,000-meter course was Allissa Peterson (fr) with a time of 19:19, Peterson placed 61st out of 218 runners. Taylor Hite (fr) followed with a time of 19:35 and placed 81st.
Foss said he was impressed by the way the women stepped up this season after losing several key seniors from last year.
“This team just grew up right before my eyes,” Foss said. “The freshmen learned a lot quickly. The victories at Houghton, Berry and the MCC meet were all due to exceptional team performance and a very close gap.”
The third Wildcat to cross the finish line was Emily Dean (jr). She placed 105th with a time of 19:50.
“I am so proud of my team. I know we ran our hearts out,” said Dean. “Even though we didn’t accomplish exactly what we wanted to do, I know we ran the best we could, despite the circumstances. I’m proud to be a part of a team that continually does that.”
The men’s cross country team was represented in a competitive field by Andrew Albert (jr) and Matt McAndrews (so). Albert ran a time of 25:38 and placed 87th overall. There were 312 runners competing on the 8,000-meter course. McAndrews finished with a time of 26:09, placing 153rd .
“At this level of collegiate racing, once the gun goes off, you don’t have time to catch your breath,” Albert said. “If you decide that you need to catch your breath, you’ll fall back about 20 places within a few seconds.”
Off the courses, Albert said coach Foss has made a big impact on the lives of the entire cross country team this year.
“[Coach Foss] goes above and beyond to help us grow and succeed,” Albert said. “He is not focused solely on our running career, but also in our spiritual lives and our development into young adults. He knows our potential, and he is constantly encouraging us so that we may reach it.”
Coach Foss was encouraged by some of this season’s results.
“A number of the men had a great season, including the top five runners all setting a personal best time at the MCC,” Foss said.
IWU finished the season satisfied, but with hopes for greater things next year.
“I can’t wait for next season and the opportunities it has to offer,” said Dean.
