October 15, 2011
By: Jordan Hill, sports information assistant

OBERLIN, Ohio - The men's and women's cross country teams competed in the Inter-Regional Rumble hosted by Oberlin College, on Saturday, Oct. 15. Though it was a blustery day coupled with a slow course, the meet served as an opportunity for teams to race the course they will compete on in four weeks for the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championships.

"The men's and women's teams accepted the challenge of building a foundation this season," first-year Head Coach Karen Brandt reflected. "That is what they did today. In miserable conditions and on a slow, soft course they ran tough and even set a few personal records. Both teams set a goal at the beginning of the year and today was a true milestone for accomplishing a men's team score and a women's team score for five consecutive meets. These athletes are setting the tone for future Bluffton teams. They realize they are ultimately working towards something bigger than themselves and their own individual goals. Bluffton University has a men's and a women's team to be proud of."

Leading the Bluffton women's top five in the 6,000-meter race was sophomore BRANDI DOMINIQUE (Wauseon) with lifetime personal record of 25:04.9. Completing the women's team score was senior Heather Smith (Elkhart, Ind./Concord) with a lifetime personal record of 25:20.3, sophomore LYNDSEY DARROW (Pioneer/North Central) with a lifetime personal record of 26:18.8, junior AliSON JANZEN (Whitewater, Kan./Remington) with a time of 27:04.8, and junior KATY HEFFNER (Troy) with a lifetime personal record of 27:30.5. Sophomore ASHLEY HILLER (New Philadelphia/Tuscarawas Valley) also competed and finished with a time of 35:23.9.

Leading the Bluffton men's top five in the 8,000-meter race was senior ANDY CHAFFEE(Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston) with a season-best time of 28:41.0. The men's team score was completed by freshman RYAN SCHADEWALD (Lima/Bath) with a time of 29:58.6, junior CHRIS ARNOLD (Fort Wayne, Ind./Canterbury) with a lifetime personal record of 32:42.0, freshman MIKE GRAY (Ulysses, Penn./Northern Potter) with a lifetime personal record of 34:37.6 and junior JEREMY KIDDER (New Carlisle) with a season-best time of 36:47.5.

The Beavers enter a crucial cycle in their training the next 13 days as they prepare for the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships at Anderson University on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011.

-BEAVERS-