CHARLESTON, Ill. – The Vincennes University Men’s and Women’s Cross Country teams began their 2022 season Friday afternoon with the Walt Crawford Open hosted by Eastern Illinois University.
The Trailblazers faced some tough competition out of the gates, going up against four NCAA Division I programs in their first meet of the year.
The VU women’s team got the day started and Vincennes was led by sophomore Daisie Kinnett (Wheatland, Ind.), who came in as the 30th-place finisher with a solid time of 20:19.8.
Kinnett was followed closely behind by fellow sophomore Brittany Page (Freelandville, Ind.) and freshman Ada Peterman (Clay, Ill.), who finished 40th and 41st respectively. Page crossed the line with a time of 21:20.5 and Peterman ended at 21:24.0.
Sophomore Hope Laughlin (Olney, Ill.) and freshman Makenna Pruett (Montgomery, Ind.) rounded out the VU women’s team with Laughlin finishing 49th at 22:18.5 and Pruett finishing 56th at 23:46.8.
The VU women’s team finished fifth out of six teams competing Friday, finishing with a score of 154.
Vincennes was running against a very familiar face, in former Trailblazer All-American, now Indiana State runner Kyra Young. Young placed 33rd for the Sycamores.
The VU men’s team competed against five NCAA Division I teams, with the Trailblazers holding their own as sophomore Mathew Keitany (Kenya) led the Vincennes pack with a 33rd-place finish at 26:58.5.
Freshman Isaac Stanford (Flora, Ill.) and sophomore Ernest Momodu (Indianapolis, Ind.) finished neck-and-neck with Stanford coming up with a 40th-place finish at 27:11.7 and Momodu finishing 41st at 27:14.5.
Freshman Sol O’Blenis (Amboy, Ind.) took home a 60th-place finish with a time of 29:02.7 and sophomore Ian Boit (Kimilili, Kenya) rounded out the VU scoring with a 64th-place finish at 29:38.4.
Freshman Matthew Gray (Washington, Ind.) and sophomores Trenton Faulkner (Wheatland, Ind.) and Reed Lawless (Kouts, Ind.) followed closely behind Boit, with Gray finishing at 29:40.7, Faulkner at 29:41.9 and Lawless at 29:51.2.
Freshmen TyDarius Clark (McCordsville, Ind.), Elijah McCartney (Darlington, Ind.) and Connor Roberson (Delphi, Ind.) were the next group of VU runners across the line, with Clark ending at 31:02.7, McCartney at 31:32.4 and Roberson at 31:46.3.
Sophomore Kyle Baugh (Portage, Ind.) and freshman Griffin Worzella (Martinsville, Ind.) closed out the day for the Trailblazers with Baugh finishing at 31:57.7 and Worzella ending at 32:04.7.
The VU men’s team placed sixth out of seven teams, ending with a score of 168.
