VU Cross Country has tough day a packed Live in Lou Classic

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Nationally ranked Vincennes University Men's and Women's Cross Country teams were back in action Saturday afternoon at the Live in Lou Classic at Tom Sawyer State Park.

The No. 12-ranked VU men's team and No. 24-ranked VU women's team were part of two massive races, including about 400 runners each.

The Trailblazers men's team got the day started and quickly suffered a setback with sophomore Isaac Stanford (Flora, Ill.) suffering an injury at the first start of the race and was unable to continue when the race was restarted.

VU was led by freshman Cody Noel (Hebron, Ind.) who placed 73rd out of 389 runners, crossing the finish line at 27:14.2.

Freshmen Caden Hostetler (LaGrange, Ind.) and Tanner Spencer (Carmi, Ill.) were the next to finish for Vincennes, with Hostetler finishing with a time of 28:23.2 and Spence at 28:35.2.

Freshman Nathan Whitehead (Vincennes, Ind.) and sophomore Griffin Worzella (Martinsville, Ind.) followed close behind with Whitehead posting a time of 29:13.8 and Worzella ending at 29:44.1.

Freshmen Max Pendley (French Lick, Ind.) and John Hackney (Evansville, Ind.) ran a very tight race, with Pendley crossing the finish line at 30:20.7 and Hackney right behind him at 30:24.5.

The VU men's team was rounded out by sophomores Matthew Gray (Washington, Ind.) and Brayden Green (Sumner, Ill.) with Gray ending at 31:30.6 and Green coming in at 32:58.9.

The Trailblazers men's team finished 33rd out of 48 teams in their race.

"It was a rough day for us," VU Head Cross Country Coach Tyler Steigenga said. "Isaac got spiked from behind in the first 100meters of the race and wasn't able to walk after. All of the guys saw it happen, so it was really difficult for them to focus on the race not knowing if he was okay. Isaac is someone who leads and sets the tone for how things are going to go, so it really hurt us to lose him today."

"Max ran the best race out of any of the guys," Steigenga added. "He finished 14 seconds off his PR. It was great to see Max run with determination that carried him to a solid performance. He looked focused the entire race. This is only his second cross country season ever, so he has a bright future ahead of him."

The No. 24-ranked VU women's team got back to full strength Saturday and were led by freshman Emilly Barbosa (Sao Paulo, Brazil) who finished with a time of 21:20.3, good for 145th overall out of 401 runners competing.

Freshmen Adi Fuller (Evansville, Ind.) and Lani Baskett (Sebree, Ky.) were the next VU finishers with Fuller finishing with a time of 22:27.4 and Baskett crossing the line at 22:42.7.

Sophomore Ada Peterman (Clay City, Ill.) and freshman Jasmyn Self (Casey, Ill.) closed out the VU scorers Saturday, with Peterman finishing with a time of 23:02.0 and Self posting a time of 23:37.7.

Freshmen Madeline Esslinger (Bloomington, Ind.) and Grayson Haynes (Sebree, Ky.) closed out the VU day in Louisville, with Esslinger finishing at 24:12.2 and Haynes crossing the line with a time of 26:08.6

The VU Women's Cross Country team finished 43rd overall out of 50 teams.

"We were back to full strength on the women's side with all seven runners competing," Steigenga said. "It was good to see Emily get out there and compete after dealing with an injury for the last two weeks. She's quite far from her best but should improve a lot now that she's getting back into regular training."

"Adi and Madeline each had good performances as they finished eight and 13 seconds respectively off their season best times," Steigenga added.

The Blazers will look to improve as the teams prepare to take part in the Angel Mounds Invitational Friday, Oct. 13 in Evansville, Ind.

This will serve as the final tune up for Vincennes before heading to the NJCAA Region 24 Cross Country Championships Thursday, Oct. 26 in Charleston, Ill.

"Having all seven women back to racing this weekend is a solid takeaway from the meet," Steigenga said. "We just need to get a few girls healthy after dealing with some injuries and we'll be able to finish well."

"On the men's side, with Isaac running, we would have finished 24th instead of 33rd today, which still doesn't correlate to how well we did two weeks ago at Terre Haute," Steigenga said. "It was a disappointing meet for the team, but we are still in a good place with training. The fitness that carried us to great performances two weeks ago hasn't gone anywhere. We will have another opportunity in two weeks to get back on track."

MEET RESULTS

MEN'S RESULTS

VINCENNES (33) – 838

Cody Noel (73) – 27:14.2

Caden Hostetler (166) – 28:23.2

Tanner Spence (181) – 28:35.2

Nathan Whitehead (223) – 29:13.8

Griffin Worzella (249) – 29:44.1

Max Pendley (277) – 30:20.7

John Hackney (281) – 30:24.5

Matthew Gray (319) – 31:30.6

Brayden Green (347) – 32:58.9

WOMEN'S RESULTS

VINCENNES (43) – 1,090

Emilly Barbosa (145) – 21:20.3

Adi Fuller (242) – 22:27.4

Lani Baskett (263) – 22:42.7

Ada Peterman (278) – 23:02.0

Jasmyn Self (312) – 23:37.7

Madeline Esslinger (331) – 24:12.2

Grayson Haynes (375) – 26:08.6