NEWVILLE, Pa. -- The George Fox Cross Country team ran at the National Preview Meet on Saturday, with both teams securing fifth-place finish in the competition. Notably, both teams had a runner who earned a place in the top 10 overall.
In the men's race,
Peter Weiss was the top finishing athlete for the Bruins, leading the pack with a time of 25:05.1. Following him was
Alex Mills in 25th place and
Austin Gappa in 28th with times of 25:28.8 and 25:31.9, respectively. The trio of
Adam Petersen, 37th,
Gavin Grass in 60th, and
Andrew Ross, close behind in 63rd, also performed well, rounding out the top six finishes for the men's team.
On the women's side,
Kayla Aalpoel set the pace, finishing in ninth place with an impressive time of 22:14.8.
Ellie Rising and
Sarah Pullen followed closely, with Rising claiming 28th and Pullen taking the 41st spot with times of 22:38.7 and 22:53.2. Completing the top six finishes for the women's team were
Brenna Sclair, 50th,
Breanna Schmitt, 54th, and
Kendall McKibbon, 79 overall.
Coach's Thoughts
"The men ran a very solid effort today! We were picked to finish 7th today and we took 5th. Can't be sad about that," said Bruin head coach
Mike Wilson, "We have more in the tank, but our guys ran very, very well today following a tough travel schedule. Great to see
Peter Weiss back out there… he looked phenomenal today. Really nice efforts from Alex and Austin as well."
"The women ran well, but I think we've got a bit more than we showed today. We just looked a bit flat, but overall not a bad day. Kayla put in a top-10 effort, and
Ellie Rising and
Sarah Pullen moved up big time throughout the race to help us finish in the top 5. The team is very, very strong, and I think we can do some really nice stuff in the late season. Proud of this group and the work they put in!"
What's Next
The Bruins will head back to Oregon to race in the George Oja Invitational hosted by Linfield in Independence, Oregon, at the Oak Knoll Golf Course on Saturday, Oct. 14th. The meet is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m.
