Holland, MI – Alma Cross Country was in action on Saturday at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional hosted by Hope College. The Scots posted a solid performance in their final meet of the season.
The women finished of 22nd 34 teams with a team score of 648. Caleigh Winters was the top finisher for the Scots. She finished in 97th with a time of 23:47.9. She was followed closely by Cornelia Gotaas, who finished in 23:53.3 to come in 102nd place. Ericka Bigham was the next Alma runner across the line in 132nd place. Her time was 24:29.5. The fourth Scot to finish was Andrea Taghon. She placed 157th, posting a 25:15.4. Rounding out the scoring for Alma was Rachel Whitt. She finished in 25:18.1 to place 160th.
The men finished of 35th of 38 teams with a team score of 962. Cliff Maginity was the top finisher for the Scots. He finished in 164th with a time of 27:08.0. He was followed by Jacob Campbell, who finished in 27:43.8 to come in 192nd place. Haydin Sims was the next Alma runner across the line in 197th place. His time was 27:54.1. The fourth Scot to finish was Noah Murphy. He placed 202nd, posting a 27:58.2. Rounding out the scoring for Alma was Colton Chovanec. She finished in 28:05.4 to place 207th.
Head Coach Matt Chovanec was grateful to have such a close knit group of runners this season "Sometimes you have a season that you just don't want to end. This was one of those seasons. It was a different kind of season where the team was very close and tight knit. So invested in one another. I loved coming to practice or traveling to a meet just to see how we handled the challenges and grew from them. I know I appreciate that more than anything else from this group. However, as this culture we are creating continues to grow and cultivate itself, I truly believe we are seeing the beginnings of something special going forward. Proud of our Scots!"
The Scots round out a season that saw a young team take many steps forward, and they will look to build off those steps moving into next season.
Story Credit: Nick Nemeth, Sports Information Director
