By: Jenia Freewalt, sports information assistant
Photos: Zach Slone
BLUFFTON, Ohio - Saturday was an exciting day for Bluffton cross-country, as it was the first time since 2012 that Bluffton University hosted a Heartland Conference preview meet. Head Coach Connor Gulick described the trials of the day by saying, "Coming off a tough week of training, I thought both teams raced with a lot of grit in this one. It was hot and easy to get stuck by yourself, I saw everyone fight the entire time."
It was also the first time since 2019 that any of the Beavers had gotten to race on their home course in the Nature Preserve. Even though it was a small dual meet, the weekend was a success, and the team has a better grasp of the conference course so they will be ready to attack it in October!
The women's teams from Bluffton and Transylvania kicked off the day at noon on Saturday. Sophomore Basil Gates (Galion) had an excellent race on the day, finishing in 1st for the Beavers and striding across the line to finish in 2nd place overall with a time of 26:19. Next to cross the line for the Beavers was junior Jenía Freewalt (Delphos/St. John's), finishing in 3rd place with a time of 27:24. Taking 7th place was junior Brooke Barnes (Ashland/Crestview), finishing with a time of 28:37. "I was especially pleased with the women's team in how they handled their first 6k of the year," said Head Coach Connor Gulick. Bluffton's women's team only raced four athletes this weekend, so the Beavers did not officially have a scoring team.
The gun fired, signaling the start of the Men's 8k Race at 12:45 p.m. on Saturday afternoon. Coming across the line first for the Beavers was junior Ethan Ly (Celina) with a time of 28:10, finishing a great race in 3rd place overall. Close behind Ly was sophomore Cole Kropka (New London) with a time of 28:44, securing a spot in 4th place. Finishing in 3rd for the Beavers and 6th overall was sophomore Adam Menser (North Ridgeville) with a time of 29:02. The men's team placed second but showed a lot of guts during the race and performed well.
While this race was a good opportunity for the Beavers to get acquainted with their home course, it also served as the 2022 conference preview meet. The race was a trial run of how everything would work out for the conference competition. As an alumnus, Coach Gulick was able to reminisce on the course as he prepared it for the dual meet, and ultimately, conference competition. "Being back out in the Nature Preserve for the first home meet in three years was a sight for sore eyes," said Coach Gulick. "It was great to see a lot of faces come out and support the team on a day that was busy with athletic events. It was a good test run for us to see how the course ran as we continue to prepare to host the 2022 Heartland Conference Championships at the end of October. We are excited to host an event of that magnitude on our campus and I am confident that we will have a great event on our hands."
The Beavers race again on Friday, Sept. 30 on the campus of Ohio Wesleyan University at Liberty Park, and after the preview, they anxiously await the HCAC Championship on October 29.
-BEAVERS-
