Wildcat Women 19th, Men 30th at Greater Louisville Cross Country Classic

Wildcat Women 19th, Men 30th at Greater Louisville Cross Country Classic

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - - Running the course that hosts the 2014 NCAA Division II Cross Country National Championship, the Wilmington women finished 19th while the men placed 30th on Saturday at the Greater Louisville Classic at Tom Sawyer State Park.

Competing against 45 teams, the women placed 19th overall, led by junior Megan Ferrick's 36th place (32 points) finish. Competing against 42 teams, the men placed 30th overall, led by senior Tyler Muse's 89th place (89 points) finish.

Ferrick led all Wildcats with her 32 points, finishing the 5K race in 19:40.35, the first women to hit a sub-20 minute 5K in the season. Senior SaraBeth Oppermann was only eight spots behind Ferrick, finishing 44th overall for 40 points with another sub-20 5K time of 19:51.01.

Senior Jeanette Halliburton finished 74th overall for 68 points, crossing the line in 20:06.52. Junior Morgan Ferrick was the fourth Wildcat to cross the line, finishing 266th overall for 216 points with a time of 22:21.30.

The fifth and final point getter for the Wildcats was junior Bailey Brooks, finishing 287th overall for 229 points, crossing the line with a time of 22:48.90. Rachel Jones rounded out the Wilmington women, finishing 331st overall in a time of 23:59.76.

The team finished with 585 points, sandwiched around Tennessee Tech and Rhodes. Lipscomb won the even with a remarkable 54 points. IPFW's Brittany Bear earned medalist honors with a time of 17:35.76, nearly 50 seconds ahead of the next competitor.

Muse led the men in the 8K race, finishing 89th overall with a time of 26:04.13. Senior Richie Mitten placed 129th overall, earning 128 points with a time of 26:26.96. Classmate Mark Hannagan was the third Wildcat finisher in 155th place overall, earning 151 points with a time of 26:36.41.

Senior Matt Mossman crossed the line in 198th overall, giving the Wildcats 187 points with a time of 27:01.44. Freshman Andrew Milham rounded out the Wildcat scoring with a 219th place finish, earning 207 points with an 8K time of 27:15.00.

Junior Quinn Marvel also ran for the Wildcats, coming in 289th place overall with a time of 28:16.89. Senior Mike Wright was the final Wildcat runner on the afternoon, placing 348th overall with a time of 31:33.41.

Wilmington finished with 762 points, surrounded by South Florida and Montevallo. Hillsdale won the 8K even with 96 points followed by Missouri's 108 points. Robert Morris' Mizael Carrera took home medalist honors with a blazing time of 24:29.33.

In order to run at Tom Sawyer Park again this season, the Wildcats will need to finish in the top three in the NCAA Division II East Regional Championship on November 22.

The Wildcats return to action in two weeks when they compete in the highly touted Princeton Cross Country Invitational on October 18. The teams will run on West Windsor Field on the campus of Princeton University.