Women’s Cross Country
While the women’s cross country team did not have the same consistency in their performance that the men did during the 2013 regular season, they did manage moments of great success.
One such time came on Oct. 11, when the women placed second out of 14 teams in the Bethel College Invitational at St. Patrick’s Golf Course in South Bend, Ind. Judson University was the only team to have a better time than the Cougars. Even then, Judson was less than a half-second better than Saint Xavier on average.
Junior Leslie Rosario was the fastest Cougar, finishing the five-kilometer event in 19:21.8. Freshman Nicole Watkins finished the event in 19:45.0, followed by sophomore Dana Martin’s 19:58.2 finish.
Senior Jordan Wallace placed fourth for the Cougars with 20:01.8, and the final qualifying Cougar runner was sophomore Ann Kolker. Her final time was 20:23.3.
The women’s team did not start the season out quite so hot. They finished sixth at the Midwest Classic out of 12 teams, then finished ninth at the 26-team National Catholic Championships at Notre Dame Golf Course in Notre Dame, Ill.
Their worst finish of the season was 19th out of 25 teams at the Greater Louisville XC Classic in Louisville, Ky.
Watkins was the best individual Cougar runner in the event, placing 85th overall with a time of 20:19.99 in the five-kilometer event on Oct. 5.
Rosario was again the fastest Cougar at the NAIA Great Lakes Invitational at Riverside Park in Grand Rapids, Mich. The Oct. 26 event ended the regular season on a bit of a disappointing note following the second-place finish a couple of weeks before.
The women’s team will try to make a deep run in the CCAC Conference Meet on Saturday, then try and secure a good spot in the NAIA National Championships on Nov. 23.
Men’s Cross Country
The Saint Xavier Cougar men’s cross country team began the year in strong fashion and only got hotter as the season moved along.
On Aug. 12, the Cougars participated in the Midwest Classic at Aspen Ridge Golf Course in Bourbonnais, Ill. They took fourth place in the 12-team field.
Senior Brian Corcoran was the highest-placing Cougar. Finishing No. 15 overall, he ran the five-mile course in 26:56.15, good for a pace of 5:25 per mile.
Fellow senior Chris Shellenberger was not far behind, finishing in 27:02.57, a 5:26 per mile pace. This got him into 19th place overall.
Chris Sarna, another senior, rounded out the Cougars’ top three in that event, posting a 27:21.44 (5:30 per mile). He was 26th overall.
Next on the schedule was the Sept. 13 Illinois Intercollegiate Meet, held at the same site as the Midwest Classic. This was an eight-kilometer event in which the Cougars placed sixth out of 18 teams.
Corcoran again led the way, this time placing 10th overall and finishing in 25:21.6 (3:10/K).
The second-place Saint Xavier runner was Shellenberger, who wound up in 30th place overall. Senior Brian Meyer was the third fastest Cougar, finishing in 26:12.9 (3:17/K).
The Cougars followed that strong showing up with a seventh-place finish in the Brissman-Lundeen Invitational on Sept. 27. This was a 31-team event that took place at Saukie Golf Course in Rock Island, Ill.
They rounded out the regular season with two consecutive fifth-place finishes. The first came at the NAIA Pre-Nationals at Rim Rock Farm in Lawrence, Kan., on Oct. 12. That even was host to a 30-team field.
The second fifth-place finish was at the NAIA Great Lakes Invitational at Riverside Park in Grand Rapids, Mich., on Sept. 26.
Corcoran led the way again, and sophomore Eric Hancock placed second for the Cougars and 18th overall. His 25:39.85 mark in the eight-kilometer race was good for a 5:10 per mile pace.
The men’s team is in good shape as they head into the CCAC Conference Meet at Sunset Hills Farm County Park in Valparaiso, Ind.
That test, taking place on Saturday, should prepare them for the difficulty of a potential run in the NAIA National Championships on Nov. 23 in Lawrence, Kan.
Tim Carroll
Senior Sports Editor