This past Friday, Sept. 22, the Ashland University men’s and women’s cross country teams competed at the All-Ohio Intercollegiate Challenge, which was held at Cedarville University’s Elvin R. King Cross Country Course, located in Cedarville, Ohio.

The meet featured many NCAA Division I, Division II and Division III schools, as well as NAIA institutions, across the state of Ohio. 

On the men’s side, three PRs were earned; leading the way were the sophomore trio of Braeden Geist, Michael Snopik, and Nathan Slater, who placed 47th with a time of 25:58.85, 64th with a 26:11.06, and 88th with a 26:29.79 respectively.

Cedarville and Walsh tied for the most team points with 42, however, the host Yellow Jackets broke the tie and won the meet. Malone finished in 3rd place. 

For the women, fifth-year Cassandra Ponzi placed 56th with a time of 23:34.84, and senior McKenna Woodruff finished 86th with a personal best time of 24:03.36. Freshman Lauren Bero, who ran her first 6K as a college runner, secured 93rd place with a time of 24:10.47.

Cedarville also won the women’s team title with 19 team points, with Walsh finishing in 2nd place (52 points) and Findlay finishing in 3rd (87 points).

Head Cross Country CoachJacob Sussman believed his runners adjusted to the longer distances well, with the women’s race being a 6K and the men’s race being an 8K.

“They adjusted really well. We went into it with a plan, as everyone had specific paces and groups they were supposed to race with. Everyone executed it well, and it was fun,” he said. 

Despite the increase in the distance of the races on both sides, Sussman was happy with how his team performed.

“Yeah, I think both groups went above and beyond in terms of the intensity that they raced with,” he said.

Up next, the teams will head down to Louisville, Ky., to compete in the Live in Lou Classic on Saturday, Sept. 30. The meet will be hosted by the University of Louisville at E.P. Tom Sawyer Park.