Chris Yingling | Echo
Both men and women's cross country teams participated in Saturday's Great Lakes Invite in Lansing, Mich.
The No. 17 men's team placed sixth in a crowded 35-team race. Taylor's squad ran admirably in the competition, finishing behind four teams ranked in the NAIA's top 11.
"The men's team competed well against many of the top programs in the NAIA," said head coach Lance Vanderberg. "We still have room to improve, and we will look forward to taking the next step at our league meet in two weeks."
Sophomore Matt Hall paced the Trojans with a seventh-place 25:51 race time. Freshman Stephen Cho followed up Hall's performance, finishing with a time of 26:38 that was good for 32nd. Seniors Ethan Evans and Zach Warner placed 45th and 48th respectively to round out Taylor's top-50 competitors.
Taylor posted a total team time of 133:41 along with 193 points at the meet. The score bested No. 19 Indiana Tech, No. 20 Goshen College and No. 22 Shawnee State.
"As we continue to get healthy, we know that our team time and placings at meets will be even stronger," Vanderberg said.
Taylor's No. 4 women's team finished fourth out of 35 teams in the Great Lakes Invite with a 95:48 total time and 136 points. The Trojans posted one of the best combined times but finished fourth in total points.
Freshman Alex Berends ran spectacularly, finishing in 17:56. The time is just seven seconds shy of the Taylor women's XC record, set by NAIA All-American Lolly York in 2006. Berends' winning time was 10 seconds in front of the second-place finisher and 38 seconds in front of third.
"Back in August, our team set three goals for the season: placing in the top four at nationals, cultivating a strong sisterhood and running for an audience of one, meaning God," Berends said. "We are constantly trying to improve in each of these arenas. Athletics are just a fraction of what we're about."
Senior Elaine Schmeltz claimed Taylor's second-fastest time with a 19:17 mark and a finish in 26th place. Sophomore Hannah Schroder (35th), seniors Jenna Norris (36th) and Allison Steinbeck (38th) and junior Anissa Richards (39th) rounded out the top-40 competitors for the Trojans.
"Our goal was to win this meet and get more experience for the rest of the season," said head coach Quinn White. "When we started to struggle, we never got it back. Our biggest obstacle was ourselves. The final outcome was not what we expected."
Both Taylor teams now look toward look toward the Crossroads League Championship, hosted by Taylor on Nov. 8. The women will kick off the event at 10:30 a.m., followed by the men's race at 11:30 a.m.
Photograph provided by TU Sports Information Department
