The UCA cross country teams dashed in the Missouri Gans Classic against 30 other teams, earning personal records across the board. 

The men’s team placed 30th out of 36 teams and the women’s team placed 17th out of 38 teams in the Sept. 27 races. 

“I like where we are right now as a team, we were able to beat some regally ranked teams and have set ourselves up to be in a good place come November,” coach Josey Weaver said.

Weaver said many of the Central Arkansas Athletes stood out during this meet.

“Madeline Hill ran a terrific race upfront for us along with Sequoya Prentice who PRed by over a minute from her best previous time,” Weaver said. “Just shows the work they have put in during this four-week training block.”

Freshman Sequoya Prentice said, “I knew my training had been going really well so I was excited to see what I could do. I was able to finish in a 21.56 meaning I broke 22 minutes for the first time. This was my goal for the season so I was stoked to achieve it in the first race.”

Weaver said, “Jack Dingman and Pete Johnson ran very well for us upfront, this will be a very important dynamic duo for our team to do well the rest of the year.”

Senior Jack Dingman finished with a personal best of 24:43.4 and he finished 118th out of over 320 runners. Following closely behind, sixth-year Pete Johnson also set a personal record of 24:55.43

Prentice said she was proud of all her teammates.

“I was also really proud of Kayleigh Wagnon who met her personal goals and came away with a great race and a PR,” Prentice said. “Overall, the Missouri Gans Creek Classic was a great way to start our season. With the girl’s team coming away with 17th place, it gives us confidence knowing that we are already in a great spot and will be a strong contender for a regional ranking. It’s super exciting and I can’t wait to see what we achieve in the upcoming races.”

The cross country Bears hosted a home meet Aug. 31 where the women’s team placed first and the men’s team placed second.

Weaver said, “We have been training for the past four weeks for this meet. This was the true kickoff to our cross-country season.”

Prentice said the four-week training period helped her prepare for the Missouri Gans Classic.

“Following our UCA home meet, we had a four-week training block in preparation to make the jump from a 5K to a 6K,” she said. “With it being the first 6K of the season, I just wanted to go out there and see where I was at.”

“We were able to race against some of the best teams across the country. This will help us prepare for our ASUN championships in November,” Weaver said.

Prentice said, “My personal goal for the rest of the season is to now see how close I can get to 21.30. However, it is a team effort to get as many points as possible so our goal will be to work together in order to place well at conference and regionals.”

The cross country Bears will race to College Station, Texas, for the Texas A&M Barrios Invitational on Oct. 18.