The Bluffton University cross country teams traveled to Indiana Wesleyan for the IWU Twilight Invitational for the first 8k/6k races of the year on Friday, Sept. 6. The meet featured some of the best NAIA schools in the nation, and the Beavers didn't bat an eye.

The women's team kicked off the night with the trio of freshmen making their 6k debut. Sara Smith (Mansfield/Madison Comprehensive) paced the Beavers with a 26:13, starting off her season strong. The duo of Jenna Stewart (Thornville/Sheridan) and Kamryn McDonald (Marion/Harding) worked the pack mentality and pulled each other along the whole race en route to 29:40 and 29:45, respectively.

The mens team was up next and they also put together a lot of stand-out performances. Leading the way was senior Cole Kropka (New London) with a 27:50. Junior Jarrod Roudebush (Coshocton) crossed the line next for the Beavers and had a big-time race, running 28:32 after never breaking 29 minutes a season ago. Senior Braeden Horn (Galion) followed with a 29:12. Rounding out the scoring 5 were sophomore Grant Beasley (Versailles) and freshmen Kaden McWatters (Genoa) with a 29:42 and 30:43, respectively.

Freshman Jordan Croy (Ottawa/Ottawa-Glandorf) provided a strong 6th man as he put multiple people behind him, finishing with 31:30. Sophomore Micah Dodson (Wooster/Central Christian) finished strong, closing in 33:35, which was about two minutes faster than how he opened up last season. Rounding out the men's team was freshman Skylar Williams (Navarre/Fairless) with a 35:55.

Coach Gulick had this take on Friday night," I thought we showed a lot of resilience in this race. We were up against against some great competition and some of the best amongst NAIA. I think this helps us give a baseline of where we are at and what we can focus on in these next few weeks before All-Ohio."

The Beavers will now have two weeks of focused training before they hit the grass again for the All-Ohio Championships at Cedarville on Friday, Sept. 20.

-BEAVERS-