Cross Country | 10/23/2021 4:52:00 PM
BLUFFTON, S.C.- The Ave Maria University cross country teams ran their final regular season race on Saturday, competing for the second year in a row at the NAIA Southern States Challenge, hosted by the University of South Carolina Beaufort. The Gyrenes were one of five Sun Conference teams in the event, and took sixth place in both the men's and women's events.
For the third consecutive race, Ave Maria's top finisher was Theresa Long. The AMU newcomer ran one of the top ten fastest 8k races in school history, as well as Ave Maria's fastest time of 2021, by crossing the finish line in 18:41.5. Long's performance was good for 12th in the field of 121 runners, and third among Sun Conference participants.
Following Long for the Gyrenes was Mary Goetz, who also earned a top 20 place with a finishing time of 19:01.4. Lily Burke was third amongst Ave Maria runners at 20:00.1, while Abigail Rall placed in the top half of the field by completing the course in 20:52.7. Ave Maria's team score was completed by Lillian Brodeur, who posted a time of 21:22.8.
Milligan was the team champion on the women's side, powered by the top three overall finishers, including individual champion Lemi Wutz, who posted a time of 17:32.5. Montreat and Dalton State rounded out the top three, with the top three Sun Conference teams (SCAD Savannah, Southeastern, and Ave Maria) taking the next three spots.
In the men's event, Ave Maria was paced by the run of Joseph Perreault, who crossed the finish line 32nd in a field of 140 runners. The sophomore ran Ave Maria's best time of the 2021 season on Saturday morning, and one of the top 20 times in school history with a 26:52.0, the Gyrenes' first sub-27 minute time of the fall season.
Two more Gyrenes ran times of under 28 minutes, putting their names on the leaderboard of the top 50 times in school history. Adam Paga was AMU's number two finisher at 26:58.2, and Jorge Jimenez had his best race of the season with a time of 27:00.6. Jackson Pope added to the team score with a time of 27:11.4, and Jonathan Kohr rounded out the scoring by crossing the finish line at 28:03.8.
Just like the women's race, the top three individual finishers came from Milligan, led by a 24:55.4 time from individual champion Aaron Jones. Montreat finished second and SCAD Atlanta finished third, while SCAD Savannah edged out Southeastern by one point for fifth, suggesting a battle to come at The Sun Conference Championships.
With the regular season complete, the Gyrene teams now prepare for The Sun Conference Championships, held in Lakeland in two weeks at Holloway Park. Ave Maria will search for national championship qualifiers for the sixth year in a row, a streak that dates back to the 2016 season. The championships are hosted this year by Southeastern University.
