Tiger Women Excel At NCAC Championships

DELAWARE, Ohio - At the North Coast Athletic Conference Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships at Ohio Wesleyan on Saturday, the Wittenberg women outperformed their preseason expectations by placing second in the league, while the men were not so fortunate, despite several strong performances.

The women, picked third in the NCAC preseason coaches poll, picked up second place behind three top 10 finishes. Sophomore Mary Pfeifer (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman) carried the banner, placing fifth out of 91 total runners. Sophomore Darcy Dubuc (Grand Haven, Mich./Grand Haven) crossed just two spots behind in seventh place, and sophomore Anna Henry (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Kenston) turned in a 10th-place performance.

Freshman Biz Goodbarn (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Highlands Ranch) was the next Tiger to finish, adding 21st-place to the Tigers' list. Freshman Amy Stamon (Louisville, Ky./Assumption) crossed the line in 37th place to round out the women's top-40 finishers.

For the women, the second-place honors represent the best finish in team history at the NCAC Championships, besting last year's fourth-place finish, which had represented the best performance.

The men, predicted to finish seventh in the NCAC, received a strong performance from standout junior Kevin Frick (Columbus, Ohio/Grandview), who finished a team-best 16th. The next Tiger to cross the finish line was sophomore Ryan Hagen (Grand Island, NY/Grand Island) in 40th place, and the rest of the team finished at 63rd or below.

Both the men and the women will now prepare for the NCAA Great Lakes Regional at Rose-Hulman on Nov. 14.