Huskies compete well at Lewis Crossover
ROMEOVILLE, Ill. - Michigan Tech men's cross country finished seventh while women's cross country came in 13th amongst a 24-team field at the Lewis Crossover race Saturday morning at Lewis Cross Country Course.
Colorado Christian won the men's team title with 59 points while Saginaw Valley's CarLee Stimpfel set a new course record with a time of 23:55 over eight kilometers. Grand Valley State won the women's 6K team title with 36 points. Klaudia O'Malley (Grand Valley) crossed the line with a winning time of 21:54.10.
Clayton Sayen continued to pace the Michigan Tech men and finished sixth with a time of 24:42.30. Freshman Drew Kolodge crossed in 30th position (25:35.00), followed by Tucker Ringhand (44th - 25:50.10), Nick McKenzie (49th - 25:52.70), and Samuel Lange (56th - 25:59.30).
"I was happy with the way that I fought during the race, given I wasn't feeling fantastic," Sayen said. "I think the team decided to fight hard and our results showed."
"Our trio of second-year freshmen, Drew, Tucker, and Sam, continued to impress," commented head coach Kristina Owen. "They are already major drivers of the team scores, and they're on a serious upward trajectory."
McKenzie was particularly notable in Saturday's race and shaved nearly a full minute off his previous personal best time in the 8K.
"Our level of competition and tenacity was higher than it has been in a while, and the results reflected that," said assistant coach Robert Young. "The guys knew it's was time to go and make it happen."
Sam Kurkowski continued her strong start to the fall and broke the finish line in 23:15.6, good for 41st in the women's race. Michelle Bollini (77th - 23:52.20), Chloe Strach (89th - 24:04.30), Ingrid Halverson (93rd - 24:10.00) were among the top four. Miranda Meyers came in 98th (24:15.10), fifth-best on the squad racing on back-to-back weekends.
"Our women's team also had a good day, racing well and digging down to find that extra gear," said Owen. "We built some competitive momentum and are in good shape heading into GLIAC meet. Sam Kurkowski stepped up as our first finisher today, which was great to see."
