SPRING 2009
Cross country runners building winning legacy
After fnishing 24th in the nation last season, the men's cross country team made an even stronger statement this year at the NAIA National Championship. They claimed 13th place overall, with one runner earning All-American status, the first recognition for a cross country athlete.
Jared Carson finished the 8K race in 25:07, a personal best, and good enough for 24th place overall (20 points).
"Jared has been a class act since the day he began running at Shorter," said head coach Jay Stephenson. "He ran the race of his career, and I am so proud of him."
It was a team effort, however, that allowed for the impressive 13th-place finish. Steven Rich ran a 25:47 for 52 points, and Martin Hernandez ran a 25:51 for 56 points. JoshCarson (26:20 - 93 points) and Ben Anthony (25:56 - 137 points) rounded out the top five scoring runners for Shorter, who combined to earn 358 points.
Equally impressive was the performance of newcomer Justyna Mudy (pictured at right). Having won every regular season race she competed in, Mudy took a third-place finish at nationals, the highest for any Shorter runner in history and good enough for All-American status.
Mudy, a sophomore from Poland, ran the 5K in 17:06.1, four seconds behind second place Jacky Kipwambok from Azusa Pacific and 25 seconds behind National Champion Alissa McKaigh from Indiana Tech. Mudy qualified for nationals by finishing the conference tournament in first place. |
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