Women take sixth at Ohio Wesleyan Invite

Posted: Oct 03, 2022

By Jenia Freewalt, sports information assistant

DELAWARE, Ohio- After a weekend off from racing, the Beavers hit the ground running at Ohio Wesleyan University for the OWU Invitational at Liberty Park. The weather conditions were great for racing on Friday evening, opening the door for some personal records and season bests among the Beavers.

The men's 8k race kicked off the meet at 6 PM. Flying across the line in first place for the Beavers and 8th overall was sophomore Cole Kropka (New London). Kropka's outstanding performance gave him a time of 27:12, setting a big PR of 48 seconds. Coming in second for the Beavers was junior Ethan Ly (Celina), striding across the line to finish with a time of 28:11 and placing 27th overall. In third place for the Beavers was sophomore Adam Menser (North Ridgeville), finishing his race with a time of 28:46 good for 38th overall. The men placed 4th as a team on Friday.

At 6:45 p.m., the women took center stage in Delaware. Striding across the line in first place for the Beavers and earning a big season best was junior Jenia Freewalt (Delphos/St. John's). Freewalt placed 34th overall with a time of 26:19. Finishing in second place for the Beavers with an incredible race was sophomore Olivia Daugherty (Bradford). Daugherty placed 43rd with a time of 26:43, shattering her previous personal record by two minutes and 24 seconds. Coming in third for the Beavers was junior Brooke Barnes (Ashland/Crestview) finishing with a time of 27:42 and placing 49th overall. Sophomore Sammie Unger (Kenton) also completed a great race, establishing a season best of 29:41. The women's team finished in 6th place at Ohio Wesleyan.

"This meet showed the work these teams have put in this season. In what were the two toughest weeks of training, we had most of the team run a PR or season best," explained Head Coach Connor Gulick, who was proud of the team's effort and performance on Friday. I thought we had big improvements to the second half of our races, which is what we have been trying to stress these last couple of weeks. I think we are in a great position going into the championship season."

As the Beavers continue with their training, they set their eyes ahead to the Inter-Regional Rumble at Oberlin on Saturday, Oct. 15.

-BEAVERS-