Men's Results http://www.bluffton.edu/athletics/crosscountry/2013/1019men.pdf    Women's Results http://www.bluffton.edu/athletics/crosscountry/2013/1019women.pdf

Despite a forecast that called for a possibility of intermittent showers, the men's and women's cross country teams ran in cold, steady rain on a wet and muddy course during each of the varsity and open races that comprised the Oberlin College Inter-Regional Rumble on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2013. In a long-standing tradition of bringing teams in from throughout the states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and West Virginia, this year's edition featured teams from states spanning from Georgia to Minnesota, many of whom are regionally and/or nationally ranked Division III programs. NYU, Geneseo, Allegheny and RIT hold positions in the national rankings while Fredonia, Case Western, Ohio Northern, St. Vincent and Emory are ranked in their respective regions.

Getting back in his groove for the Beavers, freshman Joshua Edens (Westerville/Central) led the men's team with a superb 26th place finish in a field of 277 men, clocking in at 26:09 for an average pace per mile of 5:16 over the 8k course. Edens narrowly missed an awards position (top 25) as well as the honor of being the first freshman in the field as a fellow freshman from Geneseo nipped him at the finish by four seconds. Sophomore Colin McCloskey (Sylvania/Northview) and freshman Jack Fisher (Norwalk/St. Paul) also produced sub-27:00 races with PR performances of 26:46 and 26:56, respectively. Rounding out the scoring varsity squad were sophomore Zachary Smith (West Unity/Hilltop), 27:03 and senior Martin Russ (Rocky River), 27:54. In a field of 31 teams, the men finished in the top half with a 15th place team score.

Lacing up her spikes again this week was freshman Anna Hairston (Mansfield/Ontario) who led the women's team with a strong 24:00 6k performance over the wet and muddy course among 284 runners. Sophomore Tara Murphy (Westerville/Thomas Worthington) was the second Beaver to finish for the team in 24:51 while freshman Raven Wilson (Coshocton/Riverview) ran third for the women in 26:24.

"When my husband and I took over the program at Bluffton in the fall of 2011," said Head Coach Karen Brandt, "we took the team to Oberlin and felt like we'd been swallowed whole by the enormity and quality of the field. Out of the 34 men's teams to compete that day, our men finished 34th. I am therefore exceptionally proud of what the men accomplished today, just two years later, with a 15th place team finish, metaphorically speaking within sight of teams from throughout the eastern half of the country who are regionally and nationally ranked. It is a testament to their hard work and desire on race day. We have a strong core of women who, with others joining their ranks, will produce similar results in the future."

The Beavers will train next weekend in final preparation for the HCAC Conference Championship on Saturday, Nov. 2, hosted by Defiance College. The women's 6k race will start at noon followed by the men's 8k race at 1:00 p.m.