The Hillsdale College women’s cross country team placed 24th overall at the Louisville Cross Country Classic 5k race on Sept 30 and Oct 1.
The Chargers placed seventh among Division II teams, besting several Division I teams in the process.
“This race is fast and big enough to simulate a nationals race, so the overall team goal was to practice keeping a cool and collected mindset and race competitively in this type of overwhelming setting,” sophomore Liz Wamsley said. “I thought the race went really well. On the whole, the girls executed their race goals and strategies the way we all wanted to.”
According to Wamsley, the smoothness of the course made it easier to run quicker.
“The course was very flat and fast,” Wamsley said. “We did two large loops and then an extra 1k to the finish. There was one treacherous dip that was a bit scary to do with the number of people in the race, but thankfully everyone kept their footing.”
Wamsley finished first for Hillsdale, taking 51st overall at a time of 17:38.5. It was a close finish, with the runners before and after her crossed the line with times that differed only by fractions of a second.
“I wanted to treat this race like a Nationals race and place in the top 50,” Wamsley said. “Coach White also wanted us to go into the race with the mindset that we would be satisfied with our efforts no matter the outcome of the race and grateful for the opportunity to race. I think that helped put us in a confident headspace for this race.”
Junior Gwynne Riley finished second for Hillsdale, taking 75th overall with a time of 17:54.4. Junior Meg Scheske followed close behind, finishing 3rd for Hillsdale and 78th overall with a time of 17:56.4.
“Two important moments during the race were when I came up on my teammates Gwynne and then Meg,” Wamsley said. “The race had a lot of people and went out very fast, so I lost sight of my teammates almost immediately and had no idea where people were in the race. Seeing both of my teammates navigating the packed race with confidence really helped me keep a handle on my emotions during the race and just run it competitively.”
Sophomore Kayla Loescher finished 4th for Hillsdale at 230th overall, crossing the finish line at 18:57.1. Sophomore Vera Thompson finished 5th for Hillsdale and 255th overall, taking a time of 19:07.7.
Junior Natalie Martinson finished 6th for Hillsdale, taking 283rd overall with a time of 19:20.5. Martinson said while she didn’t achieve her personal goal for this meet, she thought the team performed well.
“It was a very competitive meet and there were a lot of runners around the same pace,” Martinson said. “It didn’t spread out until after halfway, so the first mile we were very focused on getting around people and not getting buried in the race.”
Next week, the women’s cross country team will race in the Lucian Rosa Invite in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The race will be on Oct. 8 and will take place at the Parkside Course.
“For the next meet, one goal is to familiarize ourselves with the course because Kenosha will be holding the Regionals meet this year,” Riley said. “We ran at the Kenosha meet last year and were initially shocked by the degree of hills on the course, so knowing how tough the course is beforehand, we hope to run faster times.”
