Men Take First, Women Finish Second at Missouri Cross Country Challenge
Sept. 12, 2009
COLUMBIA, Mo. –
For the second weekend in a row, the Kansas men’s cross country team was victorious, as they won the Missouri Cross Country Challenge, Saturday, Sept. 12. The women’s team took second place behind host school Missouri.
Exhibiting a solid team running strategy, the men captured the No. 2 – No. 5 spots, as well as placing three others in the top 10. The Jayhawks finished with a team score of 21, which was 29 points ahead of the second-place team from Missouri.
Donny Wasinger led the squad for the second consecutive race, finishing second overall with an 8K time of 26:05.30. Sophomores Zach Zarda and Austin Bussing placed third and fourth, respectively. Zarda posted an 8K time of 26:11.20, while Bussing ran a career-best time of 26:17.50.
Rounding out the top 5 for the Jayhawks was senior Bret Imgrund, who clocked in at 26:21.70 and Nick Caprario, who finished seventh at 26:28.40.
Junior Dan Van Orsdel and freshman David Roberts also cracked the top 10, with Van Orsdel finishing in 26:32.10 and Roberts posting an 8K time of 26:38.70.
The women’s team also had a solid showing in Columbia, Mo., finishing only six points behind the Tigers.
In their 2009 season debut, Lauren Bonds and Amanda Miller both posted career-best 5K times. Bonds finished fourth overall in 18:10.80, while Miller took fifth with a time of 18:22.70.
Sophomores Kara Windisch and Rebeka Stowe executed their goals of sticking with the lead runners, as they finished right behind Bonds and Miller in sixth and seventh place, respectively. Windisch ran a career-best 5K time of 18:37.50, while Stowe, who won the Bob Timmons Classic a week ago, crossed the finish line in 18:50.80.
Freshman Kathleen Thompson completed the Jayhawk scoring with a ninth place finish and a 5K time of 19:10.50. The next four finishers for KU were freshmen as well, as Brenna Farren, Kyra Kilwein, Allie Marquis and Tessa Turcotte all placed among the top 20.
Senior Kellie Schneider ran a career-best time, finishing the 5K race in 19:52.10 to take 19th place. She was followed by Alison Knoll, who clocked in at 19:57.40, and Devin Wiegers, who finished in 20:03.60.
The Jayhawks will return to the A.L. Gustin Golf Course for the Big 12 Championships on Oct. 31, but first, they will head to Stillwater, Okla., for the OSU Cowboy Jamboree on Oct. 3.
