Cross Country | 9/21/2024 10:43:00 PM

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.- The Ave Maria University cross country teams competed for the second time this season, hitting the course at the Embry-Riddle Cross Country Classic in Daytona Beach. Both Ave Maria teams finished in the top half of the field, which consisted of programs from the NCAA Division I, II, NAIA, and junior college ranks. The AMU women finished third in a field of 13, while the men checked in 4th of 12 teams.

Sofia Torres led the way for Ave Maria Saturday morning, running the 5k course in Daytona Beach in 19:56.0, making her one of only nine runners in the field of 118 to finish the course in under 20 minutes. Madison Thomas was AMU's number two runner, clocking in at 20:18.5 for an overall 12th place finish. Felicity Foxhoven also finished in the top 25, crossing the finish line with a time of 21:08.50.

Anne Scheck finished just over five seconds after Foxhoven, finishing one spot behind her teammate at 24th overall. All five of Ave Maria's scoring runners placed in the top 30, with senior Lily Burke rounding out the quintet with a time of 21:35.5. Overall, Ave Maria was third overall behind NCAA Division I Seton Hall and host Embry-Riddle. The Gyrenes finished ahead of an NCAA Division I program in Bethune-Cookman, and were well ahead of Florida College, the only other NAIA program in attendance.

On the men's side, Christopher Hermann was Ave Maria's top runner, crossing the finish line 16th in a field of 144 runners with a time of 27:28.9. Two more AMU runners ran the 8k course in under 28 minutes, with Samuel Paga clocking in at 27:48.2 and Sebastian Shea checking in with a time of 27:56.2. Both runners finished in the top 25, with Paga finishing 21st and Shea crossing the finish line in 23rd place.

John Halvorsen was Ave Maria's fourth scoring runner, placing in the top 30 with a time of 28:21.0. The final scorer for the Gyrenes was Bryan Viera, who crossed the finish line at 29:33.7. The men finished similar to the women, behind just Seton Hall and Embry-Riddle, as well as Florida Tech. The men also topped an NCAA Division I opponent in Bethune-Cookman, and bested two NAIA programs in Florida College and Webber International.

After two weeks elsewhere in the state of Florida, Ave Maria will run on their home course next. The Ave Maria Invitational is slated for the morning of Saturday, October 5. It will mark the third of AMU's five meets during the fall season.