Cross Country crosses the finish line on the season – The Cauldron

By Ben Hercik

Sports Editor

The Cleveland State University cross country team continued its season with a good showing at the Disney Cross Country Classic, which was a 5K race. In the race, the Vikings had six runners finish in the top 30, with two runners finishing in the top 10. 

Junior Anna Brandt posted her second top 10 of the year, with a seventh place finish and a time of 18:54. She was joined by her senior teammate Olivia Hammonds posting her first career top 10 finishing in ninth at a time of 19:02. Freshman Hannah Korte finished just eight seconds out of the top 10, in 12th place with her season best time of 19:12. 

The remaining three Vikings in the top 30 finished within eight places of each other, and all had season best finishes. Junior Kylie Scott finished 23rd at 19:50, sophomore Lilly Michael placed 27th at a time of 20:11 and freshman Haley Rozeski finished 30th in 20:24. These individual results led to the team posting its best finish of the season, with a second-place showing. 

The team looked to build off of the momentum as they headed into the Horizon League Conference championship race, which is a 6K. The trio of Brandt, Korte and Hammonds led the way for the Vikings again, as they were the top three finishers for the team. 

Brandt finished in 12th, just 3.9 seconds away from posting another top 10 finish at 21:08.9. Korte was the second Viking across the line in 42nd, with a time of 22:33, which was her best 6K time of the season. Hammonds followed her with a time of 22:53 to finish in 58th. 

Sophomore Heather McArdle led the second trio of Vikings, with her personal best 6K finish in 67th place with a time of 23:23. Freshman Zoe Lexovsky came in 70th at 23:40, and Rozeski rounded out the Vikings top six finishers with a 78th place finish in 23:59. 

The effort from the runners was enough for Cleveland State to finish in eighth place in the tournament as a team.

There was one more race on the schedule for the season, and that was the NCAA Great Lakes Regional, with the same six runners representing the green and white. Brandt, Krote and Hammonds once again led the way in the 6K race. Brandt posted a time of 22:49, while Krote and Hammonds finished within 17 seconds of each other, posting times of 23:51 and 24:08, respectively. 

McArdle posted a 24:58, Lexovsky had a 25:26 and Rozeski rounded things out with a 26:48.

With the cross country season complete, the runners now turn their attention to the track season, which hits the ground running on Dec. 6 at the Bowling Green Opener.