Photo courtesy of goxavier.com | Sophomore Jenna Clayworth’s time of 21:19.50 landed her with a 20th-place finish out of 298 runners at the Bradley Pink Classic last Friday. With this result, she also set the ninth-best 6K time in school history.
The Xavier cross country teams wrapped up the regular season last Friday at the Bradley Pink Classic, which was held in Peoria, Ill.
The women’s team placed ninth out of 39 teams and had a strong showing. The men’s team also had a good showing, finishing 17th out of 33 teams.
The top finisher for the women’s side was sophomore Jenna Clayworth, who posted a time of 21:19.50. to etch her name into the record books for the ninth-best 6K time in school history.
She placed 20th in the race — an event that featured 298 runners. Sophomore Anna Kostarellis had the second- best time on the team, finishing the race in 21:32.60 and in 34th place.
Freshman Maya Hannagan and sophomore Jennifer Prial both finished in the top 100 with times of 21:57.40 and 22:11.30, while placing 68th and 95th, respectively.
“Individually, Maya Hannagan stepped it up a lot today and had a great race,” head coach Ryan Orner told goxavier.com. “She ran smart in the first mile, held strong in the middle of the race and finished the last 600 better than she has in the past.”
On the men’s side, freshman Thomas Gardiner led the team with a time of 25:31.00, securing 53rd place out of 273 runners. Senior Grayson Jenkins finished just behind Gardiner in 55th place with a time of 25:31.80. Junior John Hautz also finished in the top 100, placing 79th with a time of 25:49.50.
“Individually, Tom, Grayson and Jack all had a really good race,” Orner said.
Up next for the Musketeers is the Big East Championship. The women’s cross country team will head into the event ranked 15th in the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Great Lakes Regional poll after being unranked last week. The conference championship will take place on Oct. 27 at 11 a.m. in Carmel, Ind.
Afterward, the Musketeers can qualify to run in the NCAA Championships starting with the Great Lakes Regional — an event scheduled for Nov. 9 in Terre Haute, Ind.
According to the criteria listed on ustfccca.org, a total of 31 teams compete at the NCAA Championships. Of those teams, 18 will advance from the regional stage (the top two teams from each region).
The remaining teams will run as at-large bids. The selection process for at-large bids takes into consideration a regular season review of results as well as times finalized at regional championships.
Additionally, 38 individuals for each of the men’s and women’s sides are chosen to compete at the NCAA Championships, including the top four runners in each region and two additional runners as at-large selections.
By: Donnie Menke | Staff Writer