By Gabe Bain | Echo
The Great Lakes Challenge in Grand Rapids, Mich., brought much success to the Taylor Cross Country teams the weekend of Oct. 26. The men finished 11th of 35 teams, and the women continued their strong performance and finished sixth of the 35-team field (only 32 teams finished the race).
The women came off a great performance after they received a first place victory at the Indiana Wesleyan Invitational on Oct. 6. It was the first invitational the women's team has won in more than six years. "For these girls to be the first group to do that in years is quite an accomplishment," said women's head coach Quinn White. Although the women's team did not finish with another first place victory, the No. 24-ranked Trojans still managed to grab a top-10 finish. The team's performance started with a change in the beginning of the race. "Normally we go out a little conservative," White said. "In this race we went out a little more aggressive than we normally would." Freshman Jane Hawks finished first for the Trojans with a time of 18:57, which placed her 23rd in the 355-runner field. Sophomore Jenna Norris finished second for Taylor, placing 34th and finishing with a time of 19:04. Freshman Anissa Richards finished with her best time of the season with a 19:58, which was good enough to place her 54th. "She really stepped up," White said. "She is normally fifth or sixth on the team, and she was third for us, so that was huge." Five more Trojans finished in the top 100, but Taylor had higher standards."We came in seeded seventh, so to finish sixth was good," White said. "(But) we had higher expectations." The men's team also came to the Great Lakes Challenge with a little more intensity than in past weeks. Head coach Ted Bowers said the team's preparation started a week before the meet as they started their taper period. During the week of practice before the meet, the team continues to run with the same intensity as before but reduces their mileage by 10 to 15 percent. "Our whole aim is to start a process where our guys feel fresher," Bowers said. "(We want to) put a little bit more speed on their legs so they're used to a faster pace." The men's team was still able to finish in the top 15, despite missing one of their top runners Zach Warner. Sophomore Ethan Evans led the Trojans with a time of 26:36, which was good enough to place him 52nd in the race. He was closely followed by senior Corbin Slater with a time of 26:56, which placed him 68th in the 352-runner field. Finishing third for the Trojans was sophomore Jared Reed with a time of 26:58. Reed finished 73rd. Of the 12 Trojans to finish the race, eight of them had lifetime personal records, according to Bowers. Both teams will compete at the Crossroads League Championship at Indiana Wesleyan Nov. 3.
