Mt. Pleasant, Mich. — The Alma College men's and women's cross country teams opened the 2015 season on Friday (Sept. 4), joining Michigan State University and Central Michigan University for the Jeff Drenth Memorial Invitational at the Pleasant Hills Golf Club. No team scores were kept during the event.
Senior Adam Sanchez (Alma, Mich./Alma) was the Scots' top finisher for the men, placing 14th with a time of 16:21.699. Central Michigan took the top three spots in the race, with all three Chippewas finishing within one-tenth of a second of each other. Nate Ghena won with a time of 15:29.460, while Joseph Emmanuel (15:29.563) and Silas DeKalita (15:29.590) were second and third, respectively.
For the women, junior Kaitlyn Arnold (Jackson, Mich./Northwest) led the Scots with a time of 19:08.424, good for 19th place. Sophomore Chelsea Van Spronsen (Jenison, Mich./Jenison) also finished in the top 30, placing 29th with a time of 20:23.456. Michigan State's Erin McDonald won the women's race with a time of 17:23.924.
"I'm very happy with where both teams are at and I think we are a lot stronger as a team than we were last year," said Head Coach Matt Chovanec. "I thought our freshmen ran very well. We basically said our word of the day was 'compete,' and that's what we did. Michigan State and Central are two very good schools, and all you can ask to do is go out and enjoy the competition."
The Scots' next race will take place on Saturday, Sept. 12, when the men's and women's team travel to Grand Rapids, Mich., to compete in the Knight Invitational. Start time is set for 10:00 a.m. at the Gainey Athletic Complex on the campus of Calvin College.
Alma Men's Results
14 - Adam Sanchez - 16:21.699
28 - Justin Jones - 17:26.728
29 - Charlie Clark - 18:02.424
30 - Jamey Paron - 18:06.056
31 - Anthony Pizzo - 18:24.632
32 - Calvin Scott - 19:33.569
33 - Jeff Schlicker - 18:43.204
Alma Women's Results
19 - Kaitlyn Arnold - 19:08.424
29 - Chelse Van Spronsen - 20:23.456
31 - Hannah Garn - 20:54.952
32 - Hannah Thayer - 21:06.083
33 - Mallory Munderloh - 21:15.491
34 - Brooke Vande Polder - 22:26.147
35 - Paige Pontious - 22:56.726
36 - Madison Nelson - 23:09.088
37 - Anissa Keeler - 23:29.961
38 - Lauren Kucharczyk - 23:57.849
39 - Alexandra Bieri - 25:10.246
Contact: Paul Thomas (989-463-7114, thomaspw@alma.edu)
