Grandy Leads Men At Great Lakes Regional Championship
For the third straight year, the highlight of the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional championship meet for the Wittenberg Tigers was supplied by Mary Pfeifer (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman).
Mary Pfeifer
OBERLIN, Ohio — For the third straight year, the highlight of the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional championship meet for the Wittenberg Tigers was supplied by Mary Pfeifer (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman).
Pfeifer became just the second Wittenberg cross country runner, male or female, to reach the NCAA Division III National Championships three times in a collegiate career with a seventh-place finish in the 2011 regional competition at Oberlin. Pfeifer matched the achievements of Abi Gerstle, class of 2003, as she placed seventh in the 251-runner field assembled at Oberlin.
Her seventh-place regional finish was the best of Pfeifer's illustrious collegiate career, as well as the best ever for a Tiger runner. Gerstle's best finish was eighth in her four appearances at regional meets. Pfeifer covered the flat, fast course at Oberlin in a time of 21:57.82, just two seconds behind Case Western's Natalia Cabrera for sixth place. Aliso Steinbrunner from Ohio Northern won the event in a time of 21:27.74.
Pfeifer's finish propelled the Tiger women to an 11th place as a team in the 36-team field.. She was followed by sophomore Molly King (Springfield, Ohio/Northeastern) in 42nd place with a time of 22:52.68.
Senior Anna Henry (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Kenston) wrapped up her collegiate career with a 79th-place finish. The other scorers for the Tigers were sophomore Shannon Kelleher (Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson) in 100th and sophomore Maggie McIlvain (East Liverpool, Ohio/East Liverpool) in 131st.
The Tiger men placed 26th out of 35 teams, led by junior Trevor Grandy (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman) in 74th place with a time if 26:47.88.
He was followed by senior Jarrett Cowgill (Worthington, Ohio/Thomas Worthington) in 102nd place. The other point-scorers for Wittenberg were sophomore Wade Westbrook (Columbus, Ohio/Whetstone) in 131st, senior Kyler Cowgill (Worthington, Ohio/Thomas Worthington) in 167th and sophomore Jacob Kuntz (Versailles, Ky./Woodford) in 173rd.