Chris Yingling | Echo
The Taylor men and women's cross country teams kicked off their seasons last weekend at the Ray Bullock Invitational home meet.
Both teams performed admirably Friday with top finishes from each. The women's team took first place at the invitational while the men's team finished second.
The men's team finished the day with 63 points and a combined time of 138:41. The score was good for second place out of seven behind a Ohio Northern squad. Taylor entered the meet ranked No. 23 and surpassed No. 22 Indiana Tech at the meet.
Running in this invitational was particularly tough for all competitors in Friday evening's muggy conditions.
"It was very hot and humid, but our conservative approach to the race helped us combat the conditions," said head coach Lance Vanderberg. "We stuck to our strategy of starting the race conservatively. This strategy paid off well in the final two miles as we finished strong."
Freshman Jonathan Taylor and senior Ethan Evans led the Trojans with eighth and 10th-place finishes respectfully. They were followed by freshmen Stephen Cho (12th) and Joseph Beamish (13th) and junior Clayton Orender (20th) to put five Taylor runners in the top-20.
Taylor finished with a time of 27:31 in his first collegiate meet while Evans was right behind him at 27:39.
On Tuesday, Jonathan Taylor was named the Crossroads League Male Runner of the Week after a great run in his first collegiate outing.
"I was able to run very strong and keep a very consistent pace, which is a great way to start the season," Taylor said. "Our team ran perfectly. We were able to go out as a team and beat another nationally ranked team, which is incredible."
The women's team enjoyed success at the Ray Bullock Invitational as well, taking first in the nine-team competition. Taylor competitors claimed the top two spots while putting nine Trojans in the top-15.
Freshman Alex Berends took the spotlight by breezing through the conditions and posting a time of 18:36. Berends finished 1:17 before any other runner on the course. The time set a new course record and was the 10-fastest in the program's history.
"Alex had a stellar performance," said head coach Quinn White. "If an outsider looked in and saw her time, they'd be impressed. Factor in the blazing heat, and it's a phenomenal time. There were ten ladies at that race who were at nationals last year, and she still won by 1:17."
Berends' run received national attention as she was named the NAIA National Female Runner of the Week on Wednesday. She had previously been named the Crossroads League Runner of the Week on Tuesday before being given the national honor. This is the first time since White has been at the helm that a Taylor athlete has received the award.
"I was extremely happy with the results," Berends said. "I felt calm before the race and felt peace while I was running. It ended really well for me."
Senior Elaine Schmeltz took second place in the race, finishing with a time of 19:54. Sophomore Anna Meyer (fifth), junior Jane Hawks (sixth) and senior Allison Steinbeck (10th) rounded out the top-10 finishers for the No. 7 Trojans.
Both Taylor teams will be back in action on Sept. 19th as they head to West Lafayette to compete at the Indiana Intercollegiates with a start time of 3 p.m.Photograph by Josh Adams
