CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa- William Woods Cross Country turned heads at the Heart of America Athletic Conference Championships this weekend, with WWU's Crystal Ruden surging ahead of the pack for a second-place finish. Behind Ruden, Sarah Kirby, Devan Humphreys, Tara Lowe and Abby Gibson rounded out the top five for the Owls; good enough for a fourth place team finish.
"These women amaze me. Not only did just about everyone run a personal best, but records were broken! Competition in the Heart of America is no joke, but we came in strong and put up a fight," added Coach Gibson. "It couldn't have been without the help from Jenson Starr and Joe Kirby to make goals possible. Couldn't be prouder of what these women have overcome this season and ended on a very high note."
Ruden placed 2nd out of 121 women, also hitting a PR and school record in the 6k, lowering the time to 21:32.2! Following Crystal to new PR's were Kyah Weirich, Tara Lowe, Gretchen Marriot, Sarah Kirby, Sydney Grubb, Amy Schreck, Anna Hart, Kathryn Hirtz, Abbie Gibson, Devan Humphreys, and Kaylee Johnson. The women's team placed 4th out of 14 teams.
Woods ends their first Heart of America Conference meet ahead of 10 other teams, narrowly missing the podium.
