The GPAC championship brought the Northwestern cross country teams to Freemont, Neb., on Saturday, Nov. 7. The women came out in fourth place, while the men finished in tenth.
“It was a nice day for the GPAC Championships in Freemont,” Head Coach Dale Thompson said. “The course was tough and the team did well.”
The women were led by junior Charity Miles, who finished in tenth on the day, finishing in 18 minutes and 51 seconds. This qualified Miles to run in the NAIA National Cross Country Championship in Vancouver, Wash., on Nov. 21.
Another top women’s runner was sophomore Allison Weeldreyer, running 19:34 and finishing in 23rd place. Sophomore Teresa Scholten finished right behind Weeldreyer, finishing in 24th with a 19:35. Running in 28th and 29th place were senior Ingrid Carlson and junior Sara Hess. Carlson finished in 19:44 and Hess in 19:47.
“The top five for the women held together and they finished in a solid fourth place,” Thompson said.
The men finished in tenth place out of 13 teams in the meet. The team had 269 points and had a combined time of 2:20:03.
Freshman Sean Guthmiller finished in 44th place, which was the top Raider finish. He finished in 27:17. Senior Jack Peterson finished in 54th on the day, running 27:39. Jesse Baldwin ran 28:00 and finished in 63rd on the day. Next was Tyler Drenkow, crossing the line in 69th place at 28:20.
“The men’s top five got a little spread out on the course due to facing the hills twice,” Thompson said. “Guthmiller did a good job leading the men at this race.”
Both teams season came to a close after the meet. Only Miles will advance to the National Championship.
The teams will say goodbye to the seniors Tara Blutt, Carlson, Kyle Gerhard, Natalie Johnson, Nathan Lichter, Andy Norris, Peterson, Sarah Storm, Lee Stover and Angela Wiggens.
