MEQUON, Wis. – The Concordia University Wisconsin Women's Cross Country team had a strong performance at their home meet Saturday, finishing third at the Falcon Invitational.
Freshman Bethany Coop (Mora, Minn.) had an impressive first 6K race, moving into fourth on the CUW top 20 list. Coop ran a 23:33, finishing 17th in the 181-competitor field.
Junior Larissa Schlitz (DeForest, Wis.), who missed most of last season due to injury, welcomed herself back to the 6K race with a 24-second PR. Schlitz completed the course in 23:41, which placed her fifth on the Falcons top 20 list.
A couple of Falcons had strong PRs on Saturday, including senior Hannah Erl (Wauwatosa, Wis.). Erl bested her previous time by 27:10 at the home meet, while senior Sarah Volkert (Rockford, Ill.) ran a 24-second PR, finishing the race in 26:33.
A pair of freshmen also impressed in Cassandra Sprotte (Abbotsford, Wis.) and Nora Imperl (Greenfield, Wis.). Imperl was fourth on the team with a time of 24:16 and moved into 14th on the Falcons top 20 list. Sprotte was the fifth Falcon to cross the finish line in a time of 24:44 and now ranks 17th on the CUW top 20 list. The third Falcons runner was sophomore Ashley Scheele (Kohler, Wis.) at 23:51.
The potential shown by the Falcons freshman, as well as some strong performances by the veterans should make for a very good 2014. CUW was the highest finishing NACC school and was just 10 points shy of runner-up Lawrence University. UW-La Crosse ran away with the team title, finishing with the top five runners.
The Falcons will have a week off before taking part in the Roy Griak Invitational September 27. The meet, hosted by the University of Minnesota, is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m.
