WILMINGTON, Ohio – The Cleveland State cross country team competed in its final tune-up before the Horizon League Championship Friday afternoon, participating in the #JennaStrong Classic.
"This wasn't our best performance of the year, and we definitely didn't get the times that we wanted, but it was a great tune-up for the Horizon League Championship," head coach Joe Jaketic said. "Everyone wasn't in an ideal mindset going into the race, and I think we might have gone out a bit too fast and couldn't keep up the pace throughout the entire race. We will now have a couple hard weeks of practice leading up to the championship, and will look to have our best race of the season at the league championship."
Cleveland State had two runners finish in the top-35, earning all-meet honors, as Samantha Butterbaugh finished 29th overall with a time of 19:41 and Ashlyn Woods finished 33rd overall with a time of 19:45.
In a field of 343 runners, the Vikings had four additional top-100 finishes, including Ashley Lydic who posted a season-best time of 20:42 to finish 90th overall. Marissa Sell finished 79th overall with a time of 20:29, while Alanna Shamrock finished 82nd overall with a time of 20:32, and Megan O'Keefe placed 98th (20:47) to round out the top-100 group.
Also competing for the Vikings were Emily Marshall, who recorded a lifetime-best 5K time of 21:13, Kristin McCarthy (22:03), Sarah Mallow (22:21), and Marissa Ward (22:37).
The Vikings will take a week off from competition, returning to action at the Horizon League Championship on Saturday, October 31. This year's Horizon League championship will be hosted by Wright State, and will be held at the Elvin R. King Cross Country Course in Cedarville, Ohio.
#JennaStrong Classic Results
29. Samantha Butterbaugh, 19:41
33. Ashlyn Woods, 19:45
79. Marissa Sell, 20:29
82. Alanna Shamrock, 20:32
90. Ashley Lydic, 20:42
98. Megan O'Keefe, 20:47
137. Emily Marshall, 21:13
189. Kristin McCarthy, 22:03
214. Sarah Mallow, 22:21
228. Marissa Ward, 22:37
