Grand Rapids, Mich. – Another race, another strong showing and top-5 finish all-time for Wyatt Baldauf with his 38th place finish and 25:26.10 time which is fourth all-time in DWU history in the 8K race. Tigers also had strong showings from Caleb Sayler (26:43.60) and Justin Sorensen (26:51.20). Layne Lewis finished with a 27:29.00 and Hunter Shanks with a 28:06.60. A total of 239 runners competed in the Men's 8K Maroon division race. The Men's DWU 2022 XC team now has four times in the top-10 all-time (Baldauf x2, Sorensen and Sayler). Annika Vermeulen was the lone Women's XC runner finishing with her second fastest time of 21:51.50 on the season and placing 114th out of 226 runners in the 5K white race.
Results:
Women's 5K Race:
114th - Annika Vermeulen - 21:51.50
Total of 226 runners
Men's 8K Race:
38th - Wyatt Baldauf - 25:26.10 (4th All-Time Finish in DWU History)
133rd - Caleb Sayler - 26:43.60
145th - Justin Sorensen – 26:51.20
186th - Layne Lewis - 27:29.00 (personal best)
207th - Hunter Shanks - 28:06.60
Total of 239 runners.
Assistant Coach Roger Malonda Thoughts:
" Today was a great chance to measure ourselves against some of the best teams in the nation. We knew we would be outside of our comfort zone, and we'd be challenged early on, racing against over 20 teams that are ranked or receiving votes. With that being said, I thought our guys had a strong showing with everyone running either a personal best or second fastest times of their careers in our last tune-up before GPAC. It was exciting to see Wyatt Baldauf confidently going head-to-head against a very strong field, but also see Layne Lewis lower his personal best by almost a minute. Caleb Sayler, Justin Sorensen and Hunter Shanks all ran some of their fastest times, creating even bigger momentum for the postseason. On the women's side, Annika Vermeulen had her second fastest time of the season, and the best part is that there's definitely more in store for her in a couple weeks at the Conference Championships."
Head Coach Matt Rosado Quote:
"Coming into today we knew it'd be a tough field, but we competed well in it. Personally, the biggest takeaway was the multiple conversations I had with other coaches praising the job we are doing as a team and they recognized the growth that our program is having. One of our goals when we started was to bring back respect to our cross-country program. I can confidently say that we're accomplishing those goals. The future is bright and I'm excited about what the conference championships holds for us."
Up Next
- Women and Men's cross country has a week off before the GPAC Championships start Saturday November 5th, in Jamestown, N.D.