On the rough and undulating footing of the Elvin R. King cross country course at Cedarville University, the Bluffton University cross country teams faced unseasonably high temperatures and humidity while competing in the All-Ohio Championship meet.
This huge event saw 50 women's and 48 men's teams from all three NCAA divisions as well as NAIA schools compete simultaneously against each other.
Leading the men's team to a 12th place finish among the 21 Division III schools in attendance was sophomore Zachary Smith (West Unity/Hilltop). Smith's 27:20 clocking on the 8,000 meter course placed him 37th among 140 Division III competitors. Sophomore Josh Edens (Westerville/Central) ran 27:48 to place 55th and was followed closely by a trio of teammates - Colin McCloskey (Sylvania/Northview), Zach Bradley (Sheffield/Brookside) and Jack Fisher (Norwalk/St. Paul) — who placed 61st, 65th and 67th respectively.
Taking top honors today among Bluffton's women was freshman Raven Wilson (Coshocton/Riverview) who's 6,000 meter effort of 26:13 placed her 78th among 140 Division III runners. Literally on Wilson's heels was sophomore Tara Murphy (Westerville/Thomas Worthington) who ran 26:16 for 79th place.
Absent from today's lineup was usual team front-runner Anna Hairston (Mansfield/Ontario) who was participating in a University-sponsored field trip for her major.
"In light of the course and weather conditions, I'm pleased with the teams' performances," said Head Coach Karen Brandt. "We didn't have everyone mentally on their 'A' race today as some runners admitted after finishing. These aren't machines we coaches can program for a certain performance. Any given athlete will sometimes succumb to pressure, expectations or conditions and not run to his or her best. The important thing is that the runner can self-analyze and communicate those mental/emotional lapses to a coach. It's then that coach and athlete together achieve growth toward improved performances in the future."
The Beavers will conclude their regular season schedule in two weeks at the Oberlin College Inter-Regional Rumble on Saturday, Oct. 19, at 11:00 a.m. as they make final preparations for the championship season which includes the HCAC Championship and NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championship which will be contested on November 2 and November 16, respectively.
