Illinois Wesleyan men and women’s cross country opened their season at home with races at Maxwell Park in Bloomington on September 1. Runners placed first, third, and fourth and the women’s team brought home first place overall. The men’s team was also able to secure a solid fifth place overall.
The women crushed the two-mile event, scoring 43 points against Milikin’s second-place score of 70 points and Heartland’s third-place total of 71.Heartland claimed first on the men’s side but the men’s team finished fifth ahead of Monmouth (157) with 138 points in the event.
The top finalists on the women’s teams included seniors Rebekah Harden, Lexie Dorsey, and Jenna Mirande. Harden finished first, not only claiming the spot for Illinois Wesleyan but taking the individual title for herself, with a final time of 11:40.23. In third place was Dorsey, who ran 12:08.94, with Mirande right behind her at 12:11.44.
“Last week’s meet went extremely well on the men’s and women’s sides… I was extremely proud of the way we all competed, especially our middle-distance guys who went up in distance,” junior J.D. Barrett said.
Juniors Noah Smith and Barrett were the top runners for the men’s team. Smith was able to secure eighth place in his race with a time of 15:54.17. Barrett ran home with 16:28.80.
When the CCIW cancelled all Fall 2020 athletic events due to Covid-19, schools were forced to adapt to the new protocols. For the first time, both the men’s and women’s cross country teams competed in their CCIW Championships virtually. Each team live-streamed races from their home 400-meter track and submitted their final times in order to declare unofficial champions. Despite the unusual format, the Titans still ran home with multiple finalists.
As the semester continues and arrangements for Fall 2021 athletics are still subject to change, it seems as though the Titans are ready to stay on track regardless of what changes get thrown at them.
“I’m so stoked to see what we can do when racing the full 8k this week,” Barrett said, excited for this weekend’s near-five-mile run and the rest of the season.
Both teams will race next at home on September 10 in the Titan/Hawk Invitational. The event will take place at Maxwell Park in Bloomington, IL.
Final Team Rankings – Women:
- Illinois Wesleyan: 43 points
- Millikin: 70 points
- Heartland: 71 points
- Missouri Baptist: 80 points
- Monmouth: 116 points
- St. Mary-of-the-Woods: 120 points
- Eureka: 225 points
Final Team Rankings – Men:
- Heartland: 48 points
- Millikin: 54 points
- Missouri Baptist: 79 points
- Augustana: 92 points
- Illinois Wesleyan: 138 points
- Monmouth: 157 points
- St. Mary-of-the-Woods: 182 points
- Illinois College: 210 points
- Knox: 253 points
- Eureka: 312 points