GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - A familiar cast of characters put up a strong showing at the Great Lakes Regional cross country meet, the Wittenbrg men posting an overall finish of 22nd and the women at 26th.
In the men's race, senior Mike Echols (Springfield, Ohio/North) led the way with a school-best 61st overall finish, out of 234 total runners. Behind Echols, freshman Andrew Carter (Springboro, Ohio/Springboro) placed 88th, followed by freshman Kevin Frick (Columbus, Ohio/Grandview) in 108th, and junior Ben McCombs (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington) rounded out the top four for the men. Unfortunately, none qualified to move on to the national championships, Echols missing the 56-member Great Lakes team by just five places.
The women were just as strong, finishing 26th in their race as a team. Consistent top-finisher Megan Poling (Medina, Ohio/Highland) crossed first for the Tigers in 106th place. Junior Kate McIlvain (East Liverpool, Ohio/East Liverpool) was just 15 runners behind in 121st, followed by freshman Margot Nevin (Darien, Conn./Darien) in 153rd and senior Alissa Goble (Sunfield, Mich./Lakewood) rounded out the women's top four.
Both teams end the season with a bright future as three of the top eight finishers between both teams are freshman, leaving the possibilities for the 2008 cross country season almost endless.