CROSS COUNTRY

The Huntington cross country program battled damp, breezy weather conditions and a rain-soaked muddy course at the 42nd annual Loyola Lakefront Invitational Saturday morning in the Windy City where the men took 12th while the women finished 15th.

The meet included two divisions with the Foresters and Saint Francis (Ill.) being the only two NAIA schools to be invited to compete in the elite Maroon Division that was otherwise made up of NCAA DI programs and a handful of top Canadian schools.

The women’s race featured 157 runners representing 18 schools with junior Hannah Stoffel running a 17:38 to finish third overall for a 5:41 pace per mile. Her time proved the best NAIA women’s 5K time of the weekend.

“This was a rough race for Hannah but the fact that she still came away with a top three finish at a prestigious meet says a lot about her as a competitor,” said Coach Johnson.

Molly Mitchell came in next for Johnson’s crew by clocking in at 19:23 good for the 75th spot. Saige Norris crossed the line in 19:34 to claim 84th overall. Mara McFarland (20:03) and Olivia Von Gunten (20:51) wrapped up HU’s scoring with their 111th and 120th finish respectively.

Other runners for Huntington included Isabel Hunter (21:16), Erin Manchess (21:38) and Sydney Kallem (22:13). Despite the poor weather conditions, Hunter and Manchess each ran season-best times.

HU’s point total was 393 with their average 5K time a 19:30. Rounding out the top five finishes included Loyola (62), Wisconsin (84), Oakland (126) and Marquette (143).

Fifteen teams made up the men’s 8K with 127 runners toeing the line. Haile Stutzman raced through in 25:43 – the best time turned in by an NAIA freshman this weekend and good for the 23rd spot in the race.

Adrien Gentie navigated his way to a time of 25:53 for 32nd place. Kent Yoder (26:25) and Elijah Chesterman (26:29) finished within a few seconds of each other to claim 64th and 67th respectively.

Huntington’s final scoring came from Aaron Hendryx who posted a time of 27:36 for the 95th spot. Other runners for HU included Kody Ahrens (28:30), Luke Zeddis (28:37) and Matthew Hyter (28:56).

The Foresters finished with 281 points and an average 8K time of 26:26. McMaster won the men’s Maroon Division with 45 points. Other top five finishes included Wisconsin (65), Marquette (92), Windsor (150) and Loyola (172).

Johnson and company will race again on October 11 at the Bethel University Invitational.