The women’s cross country team finished second at the Incarnate Word Cardinal Invitational over the weekend.
ACU was led by senior Chloe Susset who won her event, the 6K with a posted time of 22:30 minutes.
The men’s side finished fourth behind third place Texas Pan-American. ACU finished with a score of 93, two points shy of third place.
“Our team did a great job of coming together and leaving everything out on the course,” senior Erik Forrister said. “We had a couple of personal bests from Taylor Ochs and Jesse Coats and just an overall great team effort. Everyone stepped up and finished strong.”
For Susset, it is her second win of the season, as she also finished first at the Wildcat’s season opening Invitational 5K. She won the 6K by 21 seconds, before second place finisher Naraly Rodriguez of Texas-Permian Basin (22:51). It is Susset’s fourth consecutive top-15 finish of the season.
“I am satisfied, but I am more excited about my teammate’s results,” Susset said. “For me, the biggest thing was to forget about being sick and just going out there and doing my best.”
ACU finished second to UIW, who had two top 10 finishers and five players finish in the top 20. The Wildcats bounced back after a less-than-thrilling performance at the Oklahoma State Cowboy Jamboree. There, the women’s team finished seventh, while the men’s squad secured the tenth spot.
“I think OSU was a wakeup call for our team, and the girls are getting more experience at racing against D-1 college schools,” Susset said. “That was our first 6k this year but we all ran smart taking a slow start and working our way up to the front.”
The team will spend the week preparing for the NCAA Pre-Nationals that will be in Terre Haute, Ind. on Saturday.
“Pre-Nationals will be a great experience,” senior Daniel Block said. “We’re only sending eight athletes between the men’s and women’s teams, but for those of us that are going, I think it will be an excellent opportunity to run in such a high-caliber race. With the transition into Div. I, this is what we’re going to have to be able to compete in if we want to help bring ACU’s cross country program back into a prominent position in the nation.”
