Optimist
  • News
  • Sports
  • Opinion
    • Columns
    • Editorials
    • Letters to the Editor
  • Features
    • Book Review
  • Multimedia
    • Photo Galleries
    • Videos
  • Police Log
  • Print Edition
  • Projects
  • Classifieds
  • About
    • Advertise
    • Policies
    • Staff Contacts
    • Jobs
You are here: Home / Sports / ACU men, women dominate Classic: Men finish 5 in top 6, five women runners place in top 15

ACU men, women dominate Classic: Men finish 5 in top 6, five women runners place in top 15

September 17, 2003 by Steve Holt

By Steve Holt, Staff Writer

As expected, the men’s and women’s cross country teams dominated their competition Friday in the opening meet of the 2003 season, the ACU Classic at Sherrod Park. The women placed all five runners in the top 15 finishers, winning with 27 points, compared to 59 scored by second-place South Plains College. Wildcat men filled five of the top six positions in the race, scoring a near-perfect 17 points to place first.

First-year runner Yuliya Stashkiv of Ukraine placed first in the women’s race, overcoming runner-up Adeh Mwamba of South Plains, who led with a fast pace the first mile. Senior Justine Nahimana placed third in the race for the ACU women, who are ranked third in the South Central Region and 24th nationally. Sophomore Abbie Waters placed fourth in the race, followed by freshman Crystal Berndt in fifth.

Head coach Jon Murray said he thought Stashkiv’s win was good for the Ukraine native, who Murray predicts will easily break 17 minutes in a five-kilometer race this season.

“Being able to run in front of the home crowd was nice,” Murray said. “I think it should give her some confidence that she’s in shape and can handle some good competition.”

Friday’s race was the first collegiate competition for Berndt, a former high school standout in Rye, Colo.

“I was a little nervous,” said Berndt, who ran 19:57.28 over the 3-mile course. “I think the adrenaline helped out. The team is really great, and I really felt good about it.”

Junior Bernard Manirakiza won his third straight ACU Classic for the men’s team, which placed six runners in the race’s top-10 finishers. Manirakiza’s time of 20:02.78 was the third-fastest time ever on the 4-mile Sherrod Park course, Murray said.

“[Manirakiza] is probably the highlight of them all, but all of them looked good,” Murray said.

Senior Arthemon Sindayigaya placed second in 20:28.78, followed by junior Martin Okello in 20:39.83 (3rd), senior Nick Branen in 21:02.26 (5th), and senior Jean-Marie Ndikumana in 21:17.44 (6th). Senior Justin Thompson and freshman Seth Patterson placed ninth and 17th, respectively, for the Wildcats.

Murray praised both teams for their composure Friday.

“I think they handled the competition very well,” Murray said. “Across the board, I think everybody looked good. It showed they did some work over the summer, and I was just real proud of the effort everybody had.”

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With: Cross Country

Other Sports:

  • Wildcats battle in Denton but come up short for third week in a row

  • Wildcats head to Denton to take on Mean Green

  • Wildcats face major struggles in first ever UAC matchup

About Steve Holt

You are here: Home / Sports / ACU men, women dominate Classic: Men finish 5 in top 6, five women runners place in top 15

Other Sports:

  • Wildcats battle in Denton but come up short for third week in a row

  • Wildcats head to Denton to take on Mean Green

  • Wildcats face major struggles in first ever UAC matchup

Follow us online

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Optimist on Twitter

Twitter feed is not available at the moment.

Optimist on Facebook

The Optimist

16 hours ago

The Optimist
Swing Cats took center stage with their annual event, Fall Stomp, on Friday. Held at the Elks Art Center, this event has become a tradition that brings the past into the present. For more media coverage of this event and others go to acuoptimist.com or click the link in our bio. ------------------------------------------------------------------#acu #abilenechristianuniversity #fallstomp #swingdancing #jazzbands ... See MoreSee Less

Photo

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

The Optimist

1 week ago

The Optimist
The student-run Hispanos Unidos club put together its annual Entra a La Plaza to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. Attendees were able to experience authentic Hispanic traditions like traditional Hispanic food, dancing with live music and offered selections from local businesses like Mary’s Paleteria. For more media coverage for this event and others visit acuoptimist.com or click the link in our bio.-------------------------------------------------------------#acu #acunews #HispanicHeritageMonth #hispanosunidos ... See MoreSee Less

Photo

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

Videos

Optimist Newscast Feb. 22, 2023

Our top stories this week include the passing of Dr. Bob Hunter, a new endowment ... [Read More…]

  • Optimist Newscast Feb. 8, 2023
  • Optimist Newscast Feb. 1, 2023
  • Optimist Newscast Jan. 25, 2023

Latest Photos

  • Home
  • Podcasts

© 2023 ACU Optimist · All Rights Reserved