Tallahassee, Fla. – The Saints Cross Country Men placed 16th and the Women 20th at the NAIA National Cross Country Championships on Friday, their best combined finish since 2015.
The men moved up four places from their pre-meet ranking and earned the 4th highest team finish in program history. The women equaled their rank from the final polls after moving up all season. They surpassed Montana Tech (23rd) for a second meet in a row. On the men's side, a strong Rocky Mountain squad placed 4th.
The men's team was led by Senior Brycen Gardner, placing 69th in a gutsy race for the highest finish of his career. Oliver Morris also broke the Top 100, placing 74th. For the women, Freshman Olivia Gaugel was the top finisher in 106th. She was closely followed by Jayna Boonstra (113th) and Ryah O'Dell (117th) who ran in a tight pack for much of the race.
"This national meet really demonstrated the depth and growth these athletes have generated in the program over this season of hard work and beyond," said Head Coach Shannon Flynn. "It's our best finish as a collective group since 2015 when the men and women together earned the 3rd Place combined trophy. We feel really positive about that momentum, and it was so fun to see these runners soaking up the experience of racing and of spending time together," she added.
A significant hill each loop and humid conditions led to slower times across the board in both races, especially the men's race as temperatures climbed. Despite the harder day, Gaugel, Boonstra, and O'Dell all set personal records for 6k. Earlier in the season, O'Dell entered the Top 10 Lists for Carroll Cross Country for 5k, currently sitting 5th. Gardner also moved up on the 8k lists to 8th this fall.
"This outcome belongs to every athlete on our teams whether they raced at Nationals or not and we are always grateful for how each of them contributes. At the end of the season though, we're especially thankful for our seniors," said Coach Flynn. "Whether they had the exact race they wanted Friday or not, they have each had a lasting impact on our program and on their teammates that will continue to matter in the future."
The following Carroll Cross Country Seniors ran their final cross country races but will continue this spring in Indoor and Outdoor Track: Gardner, Zack Gacnik, Marco Gonzalez-Sosa, Peter Rehberger, Madalen Shipman, and Ali Cunningham. Daniel Koralewski wraps up a great career this fall after graduating in May.
Full results for the meet are available at this LINK.
While the Cross Country Saints transition to well deserved off time, the full Track & Field team looks ahead to the first indoor meet of the season coming up on December 4 in Bozeman, Mont.
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