Straus Records Highest Individual Finish at Heart Championships; Team Sets Time School Record
Delaney Straus finished 13th to lead the Culver-Stockton Women's Cross Country team to a ninth place finish at the Heart of America Athletic Conference Cross Country Championships at Seminal Valley Park in Cedar rapids, Iowa, Saturday morning.
Straus finished the 6000-meter course in a time of 23:06.7 which was 33 seconds behind the winner, Rory Bickler of Clarke University. The time is believed to be good enough to qualify Straus for the NAIA Cross Country Championships as an at-large selection. The at-large picks will be revealed Tuesday, Nov. 12. The 13th place finish is the highest individual finish in the conference championships by a Wildcat since the program was re-instated in 2008.
As a team, the Wildcats registered a total team time of 2:10:05, which was good enough to place ninth in the 13-team field. The time broke the school team 6-kilometer record, which was 2:31:34 set in 2008. The Wildcats averaged 26:01 per runner. Mount Mercy captured the championship with a team average of 1:54:17.
Among the other runners competing for the Wildcats, six of the eight runners ran personal bests in the event. Faith Younce improved on her 57th place finish a year ago with a 41st finish this season in a personal best time of 25:00.7. Emma Berry, making her Heart debut, placed 53rd overall in a time of 25:54.8, which was also a personal mark. That finish is in the top 10 of all-time finishes at the Heart Championships.
Malia Carmack set a personal record and placed 64th overall with a time of 26:41.5 while Morgan Keith and Zoi Smith finished 95th and 97th, respectively. Keith finished in a time of 29:21.3 while Smith recorded a time of 29:56.2, both personal marks
Caroline Lindsey and Klaudia Blaszczyk completed the C-SC group of runners. Lindsey placed 100th overall with a time of 30:32.8, which was a personal best, while Blaszczyk placed 112th overall with a time of 34:57.3.
The 45th Annual NAIA Cross Country National Championships is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 22, at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo.