WINNECONNE, Wis. – Five runners posted their career-best times as the Concordia University Wisconsin Women's Cross Country team competed at the UW-Oshkosh AAE Invitational Saturday afternoon.
The race, which is held at Lake Breeze Golf Course, is no doubt one of the top meets the Falcons compete in. Forty-Two Division II and III teams competed in the Women's race Saturday, with 559 runners taking part.
Junior Jessica Rice (Canton, Mich.) was one of the five Falcons to post a personal-best time as she continues her impressive season. Rice ran her first race of 2014 September 27 (Roy Griak) and posted a then-PR time of 27:18.3. Last week she bested that time by over two minutes (25:03.9), and this week Rice was once again at it, posting a 24:51.68.
Freshman Bethany Coop (Mora, Minn.) did not run a PR time on Saturday but she was once again the first Falcon runner to cross the finish line. Coop came in at 23:38.17 as she has been the top CUW finisher each time out this season. Sophomore Ashley Scheele (Kohler, Wis.) was next in line with a 23:41.87, narrowly missing out on a PR.
The next three Falcons runners were a trio of freshmen who set PRs. Nora Imperl, Cassandra Sprotte and Paulina Agnello all ran their best races in their CUW careers, finishing as the No. 3-5 runners for the Falcons. Imperl (Greenfield, Wis.) came in at 24:06.08, while Sprotte recorded a time of 24:31.70. Agenllo (Brookfield, Wis.) rounded out the CUW scoring lineup, one that included four freshmen and a sophomore, with a PR time of 24:50.53.
The fifth CUW student-athlete to clock in with a personal-best time was senior Sarah Volkert (Rockford, Ill.). She posted a time of 26:10.80. Junior Jolyn Achs (Gurnee, Ill.) added a season-best time of 26:08.28.
Grand Valley State won the meet with 40 points, placing four runners in the top 10. Lucy Cheadle of Washington University in St. Louis topped the 559-competitor field with a 20:44.01.
CUW will have next weekend off to rest up for the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Championships, scheduled for November 1. The NACC meet will be held at Oakhurst Forest Preserve and is hosted by Aurora University.
