BETHLEHEM, PA/DELAWARE, OH – On a warm October weekend in both Ohio on a Friday evening and Pennsylvania on a Saturday morning, Wittenberg University's men's and women's cross country teams posted a string of solid showings against a variety of competition.
The weekend started for a smaller collection of Wittenberg runners on Friday at the Ohio Wesleyan Invitational, and it continued at the highly competitive Paul Short Run hosted by Lehigh University on Saturday for the rest of the team members. On the women's side of the White Race at the Paul Short Run, a total of 46 teams were entered in the competition, and the Tigers brought home 23rd place. For the men, the White Race had a total of 41 teams, and the Tigers brought home 18th place.
The Tiger women were paced at Lehigh by sophomore Maddi Clark (Mentor, OH/Mentor), who finished a team-best 55th with a time of 22:26. Senior Megan Keys (Dublin, OH/Jerome) tallied an 82nd place finish, recording a time of 22:42.
Four other Tigers competed at the Paul Short Run. Junior Emma Hawk (Marion, OH/River Valley) notched a 142nd place finish with a time of 23:21, fellow junior Mackenzie Kelley (Altoona, PA/Altoona) finished 226th with a time of 24:13, freshman Abigail Davison (Reynoldsburg, OH/Reynoldsburg) placed 265th with a time of 24:39 and freshman Emily Zmuda (Columbus, OH/Hilliard Davidson) capped off the scoring for the Tigers, placing 293rd with a time of 24:59.
Leading the way at Lehigh for Wittenberg's men was senior Conor Kolka (Dexter, MI/Dexter), who earned an impressive eighth-place finish with a time of 24:51. This is Kolka's best time of the season thus far. Lukas Rieben (Clayton, OH/Northmont) was the next Tiger to score points for Wittenberg, as he finished 60th, recording a time of 25:40.
Five other Tigers competed at Lehigh as well. Junior Lucas Eisele (Dayton, OH/West Carrollton) placed 115th with a time of 26:16, Brandon Anderson (Dexter, MI/Dexter) continued his solid freshman season finishing 131st with a time of 26:25, freshman Kamren Graham (Shaker Heights, OH/Shaker Heights) placed 225 recording a time of 27:17, junior Evan Haemmerle (Avon, OH/Avon) notched a 253rd placed finishing with a time of 27:34, and senior Adam Arndt (Connersville, IN/Connersville) rounded out the Tigers, placing 352nd with a time of 29:17.
Wittenberg Track and Field and Cross Country Head Coach Paris Hilliard was pleased with both the men's and women's showings. "Solid performances across the board in a very high-quality field. We learned a lot from this experience as a team. As we close in on the championship part of the season, we look to utilize this experience."
At Ohio Wesleyan, Jack Miller (Rocky River, OH/Rocky River) led the men in 63rd place in a time of 27:28. He was followed by Zayden Taylor (Springfield, OH/Kenton Ridge) in 124th with a time of 28:25, Taylor Insyxiengmay (Cincinnati, OH/Little Miami) in 222nd with a time of 32:01, and Tatum Paglia (Indianapolis, IN/Ben Davis) in 227th in a time of 32:39.
For the women at OWU, Riley Colestock () topped the Tigers in 88th in a time of 25:16. She was followed by Rachel Lahrmer (Nordonia, OH/Nordonia) in 112th in a time of 26:14, Svetlana Daniels (London, OH/Madison Plains) in 119th in a time of 26:22, Danielle Williams (Indianapolis, IN/Ben Davis) in 130th in a time of 26:50, Destiny Smith (Pickerington, OH/Pickerington Central) in 145th in a time of 27:52, and Meredith Brown (Liberty Township, OH/Lakota East) in 145th in a time of 29:11.
Wittenberg returns to action on Friday, October 18, as the Tigers travel to Wilmington, Ohio to compete at the Jenna Fall Strong Classic.