Ravens Claim Seventh in HCAC Championships

The Anderson University women's cross country team claimed seventh place in Sunday's Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) Championships at LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute.
 
"The women ran well," Coach Sol Stephens said. "It's a small group. There's only five of them, but they have stuck together all year."
 
The meet was ran on the nationally-renowned LaVern Gibson Course, which has hosted 12 NCAA Division I Championships. It will also host the 2019 NCAA Division I Championships and the 2020 NCAA Division III Championships.
 
Rebecca Gregg (Mansfield, Ohio/Ontario) charged to 12th place with a 6K time of 25 minutes, 20.5 seconds. The Mansfield, Ohio native was named the HCAC Freshman of the Year as top finisher in their freshman year of eligibility. Gregg also received first-team all-HCAC honors, which are awarded to top 12 finishers.
 
"Having Rebecca being named the Freshman of the Year, since this is her first year of cross country, is a good accomplishment to have on her resume as well as being first-team all-conference. If you do look up and down the conference leaderboards, it's a lot of seniors and some juniors and sophomores that's ahead of her. They have had time in college to acclimate to the training and adding that extra 1,000 meters that comes on when you transfer from high school to college. She shows up with her hard hat every day."
 
"I think as a team, we all did really well," Gregg recalled. "We were competitive and didn't let the course beat us down too hard. For me, I stayed in the game and remained focused."
 
Noelle Loller (Lapel, Ind./Lapel) raced to 20th with a time of 25:55.7. The freshman from Lapel earned all-HCAC Honorable Mention, which is awarded to runners placing 13th-20th. Gregg and Loller look to build off each other as the program grows in the future.
 
"I think I performed pretty well," Loller commented. "Making top 20 as a freshman is pretty good. A lot of improvement, but I know running with Rebecca the next couple of years, we'll work together as a team and get better. I think the team did really good. We worked together, stepped up and ran our best."
 
"Noelle ran well," Stephens added. "Rebecca and Noelle have really blossomed under what we are doing for preparing ourselves for the entire season's long plan from cross to indoor to outdoor track."
 
Makayla Barbour (Westville, Ind./Chesterton) secured 41st and clocked a personal record (PR) of 27:18.9.
 
"I would say this race went pretty well for me," Barbour stated. "Going into it, I didn't think I was going to do well, but I ended up pushing myself and having the best performance of my season. Collectively as a team, we all did really great this race, despite the challenges of the wind and the weather."
 
"Makayla ran a PR on that tough course," Stephens acknowledged. "She ran a season best at the conference meet, which is always a good thing."
 
Katelyn Englert (Birdseye, Ind./Forest Park) took 73rd with a time of 30:52.7.
 
"Katelyn is more of a sprinter transferred into the cross country group, but she likes the group. She is sacrificing her training for what is going to be at the end of the road an outdoor season, but she ran well also."
 
"I think overall, the team performed pretty well and we did better than we were expecting," Englert commented. "I wasn't too upset with my performance; it wasn't my best, but it wasn't my worst."
 
Senior Bailey Wallace (New Palestine, Ind./New Palestine) finished 80th with a time of 33:52.8. She has been part of the program and has provided guidance for Anderson's four freshman for the future.
 
"I think throughout the season, both boys and girls improved and showed a lot of potential," Wallace recalled. "I was proud of how the girls performed. They all gave it their best."
 
"Our one senior Bailey Wallace (New Palestine, Ind./New Palestine) runs as our fifth runner, but she more than our fifth runner by what she brings to the locker room and the attitude every day, trying to show the right way for the future with these other young girls," Stephens acknowledged. "We're hoping the good habits of her work ethic will transfer into these younger ones, which as the numbers continue to grow, it will grow the right way."
 
Manchester University cruised to first place with 27 points. Hanover College came in second with 45 points, finishing ahead of Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (87), Bluffton University (96), Earlham College (152), Franklin College (170), Anderson (188), Transylvania University (208) and Mount St. Joseph University (213), which rounds out the team standings.
 
Manchester's Hannah Wappes rolled to first with a time of 22:50.6.
 
The Ravens close out the cross country season with the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional on Nov. 16 at 11 a.m. in Grand Rapids, Mich.
 
"So far, we are on a good start. I am already excited for what the future brings for the girls and especially for what the future is going to bring looking forward to the outdoor meet at Rose-Hulman in April when all of the girls have come together. As I always say 'put that best foot forward when it matters most.'"