Men's fourth-place finish highlights Bethel cross country NAIA Mid-States performance
Schrag sets school record for women's 6k, Schmidt is top finisher for men's side.
WINFIELD — The Thresher cross country team competed on Saturday at the Mid-States Classic in Winfield in preparation for the KCAC Championships — and the results were promising with the season concluding in less than three weeks.
The women breezed by the program’s first 6k with only three runners but all three runners finished within 30 placements. Leading the Threshers was freshman Bethany Schrag with a time of 26:13.19 finishing at 25th place and setting the school record for the 6k. Freshman Emma Graber finished 26th directly behind her teammate with a time of 26:13.28. Freshman Taryn Paulino rounded out the women placing 29th with a time of 27:03.05.
“The race was a tough one but overall it was a really great race,” Schrag from Valley Center said. “The team is doing amazing. We all have improved quite a bit since the beginning of the season. This last race really helped push us through mental barriers and I feel like we're ready for conference.”
The men had a full seven-runner lineup and finished relatively close to one another. Luke Schmidt ran a 27:53.85 finishing 17th, and Tobin Wise finished 18th with a time of 27:57.80. Marcus Fiedler finished with a time of 29:06.74 placing 26th and Isaiah Bartel was right behind him finishing in 28th with a time of 29:10.84.
Robert Crager finished in 40th with a time of 30:51.57. Matthew Fleck finished in 42nd with a time of 31:19.35. Daniel Kaufman rounded out the Thresher competitors as he recorded a 44th-place finish after turning in a time of 31:43.78.
“The race was okay, definitely not my best performance because of the warm weather,” Wise from Pleasant Hill, Mo. said. “I ended up running my second fastest 8k and placed in the top 20 to get a shirt. I’m looking forward to the conference meet where I can hopefully run a personal best.”
With the cross country season close to the end, the runners look ahead to next week for the conference meet.
“NAIA Mid States Classic is always a field with competitive teams,” said head men’s and women’s cross country coach Julio Martinez. “NAIA Mid States Classic is always a field with competitive teams, so having placed fourth on the men's side is a good indicator for us. The highest finish at this meet in school history as well, so that's a great compliment for the work these guys have been putting in. Good momentum going into the KCAC conference meet in two weeks.
“On the ladies side, we had a solid pack of trio lead the way for the inaugural 6k. Bethany Schrag set the school record in 26:13.2 with Emma Graber only .1 away making a great wire-to-wire race. Now that we have established times in this race, we focus on improving as we will run the conference meet on the same course. I’m proud of everyone's performance in tough running conditions.”
Both squads will be back in action on Nov. 4 for the KCAC Championships in Winfield.