Dubuque, IA - The Grace Christian University cross country teams had the race of their season so far at the NCCAA North/Midwest Regional Championships on Friday, with the women's team finishing 2nd overall in the team standings and two men and one woman earning "All-Region" awards.
With four of the top five teams in the national rankings all in the same regional meet, Friday's race was a great opportunity for the Tigers to measure themselves against some of the teams they will be competing against in a couple of weeks in Joplin, Missouri for Nationals.
The first race of the evening was the men's 8k with freshman Caleb Anderson (Wyoming, MI) and sophomore Ian Hinkle (Grand Ledge, MI) taking off with the front pack of runners at the gun. Through a determined and gutsy performance for the duration of the 4.97 mile race, they both successfully held on to finish in the top ten and earn All-Region honors. Hinkle crossed the line first with a lifetime personal best time of 29:24, finishing 6th overall. Anderson was right behind in 7th place in 29:34, within twelve seconds of his lifetime best.
Not to be outpaced, sophomore Jude Vargo (Penn Hills, PA) and freshman Marshall Gonzalez (San Antonio, TX) also displayed grit and determination. Vargo finished in a time of 34:26, with Gonzalez crossing the line in 46:26.
On the ladies side, the Tigers turned in the single best full team performance of the year with all five runners executing the race plan to a tee by running with purpose and securing the individual places they were looking for going into the race. With the closest team spread of times yet this season (3:04), the top five runners all finished closer to each other than ever before. Their pack running secured the second place finish with 58 points.
Crown College won the women's (and men's) title with 15 points. Trinity Bible College was third with 79 points. Maranatha Baptist was fourth with 88 points.
Senior Maty Deneui (Fenton, MI) and junior Kristina Brandenburg (Twin Lake, MI) continued to do what they do best, which is lead the Tigers on and off the course. The two ran incredibly strong races, with freshman Sayla Bender (Kingsley, MI) within reach of them, as well. Deneui led the women across the finish line in a time of 21:30, only four seconds off of her season best, and finished in 9th place overall, earning All-Region honors. Brandenburg has had the best cross country season of her life and continued to make her teammates and coaches proud, finishing in 11th place and running a new lifetime personal record time of 21:44. Bender shined as a future leader of the cross country team by finishing within striking distance of the top ten with a 14th place finish and a new season best time of 22:10.
As cross country is a true team sport, the second place finish for the women would not have been possible without the gigantic races that freshman Lily Anderson (Pickford, MI) and sophomore Aura Fleis (Republic, MI) ran. The two "Yoopers" on the team (both from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan) raced to huge new lifetime personal record times. Prior to Friday's race, neither runner had ever broken 25 minutes in the 5k. That changed on Friday when Anderson crossed the line in a time of 24:31, with Fleis right behind in 24:34.
The cross country teams will now turn their attention to the NCCAA National Championships on Friday, November 14 in Joplin, MO. With the entire Grace women's team qualified for Nationals and the top three men, the race will be an exciting one as they face off against the country's best.
