The Central Arkansas cross country teams competed at the Crimson Classic in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on Friday. The women’s team finished 13th out of 22 teams, while the men’s team placed 12th among 20 teams.
Madeline Hill led the women’s team, finishing 22nd with a time of 20:35.4, narrowly missing a new school record. Head coach Josey Weaver commented, “[Madeline] ran tough and gutsy from the start. It’s been a pleasure watching her grow and turn into the runner she has become!”
Several members of the women’s team achieved personal bests in the 6k race. Abby Machesky and Arizona Blankenship each improved their previous records by eight seconds, finishing at 22:00.3 and 22:03.0, respectively. Alexis Frick completed her race in 22:36.9, while Kayli Myers nearly dropped two minutes from her best time, finishing at 22:59.7. Liz Browning set a new personal best with a time of 23:17.7, and Brooklyn Nicholson finished at 23:52.3.
On the men’s side, Jack Dingman was the top finisher for Central Arkansas, placing 43rd with a time of 25:04.3. “Jack paced us up front as usual and set the tone for our men from the start. He’s put in a ton of work and starting to get rewarded for his effort,” Weaver said.
Other finishers for the men’s team included Mason Bickle (57th, 25:20.7), Trae Baker (64th, 25:25.8), Ky Bickford (85th, 25:47.8), Logan Dingman (115th, 26:17.2), Samuel Morales (137th, 26:44.9), William Hill (147th, 26:59.8), and Beau Melacon (158th, 27:31.1).
Coach Weaver noted that the event was an important step as both teams prepare for the ASUN Cross Country Championships scheduled for November 1st. “Both teams took another step in the right direction today as we gear up for the ASUN Cross Country Championships in two weeks,” Weaver said. “We have learned how to run our race and execute our race plan the past two meets.”
Full race results are available on the results page.
