Rock Island, Ill. – It was a beautiful, sunny day as the Principia men and women's cross country team drove up to the Saukie Golf Course. The course, made up of three loops, was crowded with runners, coaches, and spectators.  Both men and women stepped to the line with hundreds of others, each race having around 400 runners.
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The women's 6-kilometer race started first at 5:00 PM. Though it was a crowded start, the women were able to position themselves well. Sarah Litlwiller, a junior and a captain, ran a smart race, being patient early on only to move into 9
th place finishing in a time of 22:41.Â
Emily Osborne, a senior and captain, was next in for Principia. She ran a hard race and came through in 24:14.Â
Shontee Pant,
Kyla Pelletier, and
Haley Morton packed up and stayed together for most of the race, spreading out only slightly in the last loop. Shontee came in first of the three, followed soon after by Kyla and Haley.Â
Madison Flannery and
Shelby Tisinai also grouped up for the first half of the race. Madison had a strong finish, really picking it up in the last 100 meters. Shelby came through the line next, looking strong. Overall it was a great day for the women's team.
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The men's 8-kilometer race followed at 5:45 PM. Also starting within a crowded and competitive field, the men had to fight their way through a sea of runners.Â
Wylie Mangelsdorf, a senior and captain, made his way to the front, hanging with the lead pack for the entire race. He finished in second place with a time of 24:57.Â
Adam Rolph came in next for the team, finishing strongly with a time of 26:27.Â
Derrick Fleming, a senior and captain, came through the line soon after, putting on a surge for the last 150 meters.Â
Shane Witters Hicks had a great race and was Principia's fourth runner in. Following closely behind was
Nate Richards who gave it his all on the last stretch.Â
Garrett Fielding looked great going into the last loop and did not give up until he crossed the line.Â
Gavin Goodsell finished next, looking calm and under control, followed by
Andy Crump who also had a good day and a great finish. The men finished twelfth out twenty teams.
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Both men and women had great performances to be very proud of at such a competitive meet.
