Lincoln Reed | Echo
The Taylor cross country teams both advanced to the NAIA Nationals after the women's team placed first and the men's team second in the Crossroads League Championship on Saturday.
Led by freshman Alex Berends, the No. 15-ranked Taylor women's team placed eight runners in the top 15 of the race. Berends, seniors Allison Steinbeck and Elaine Schmeltz, juniors Jane Hawks and Anissa Richards, sophomore Anna Meyer and freshman Andrea Foster all finished with their fastest times of the season.
"I think one of the big things was how tight our pack was," said head coach Quinn White.
Berends was named the Crossroads League Female Runner of the Week and claimed a new season record and Taylor University course record with a time of 17:55.9. The first-place finish on Saturday was the fourth out of five outings for Berends this fall.
"This year, I've really learned to have peace while I'm running," Berends said. "In high school, I would really tense up before races and get really nervous. This year, (White) has helped me focus more and I've been concentrating more on staying relaxed and not being afraid of the pain. I really think that helps me run better."
White credited the first-place finish to Berends and the team's senior leadership as crucial factors in Saturday's victory.
"Alex winning the race definitely helped to get the number one spot," White said. "I think the senior leadership definitely played a big factor. They kept people relaxed. They kept people focused."
Saturday's performance raised the women's team to No. 9 in the final regular season NAIA Top-25 Poll.
The Taylor men's team captured second place in the Crossroads League Championship behind No. 5-ranked Indiana Wesleyan.
Sophomore Matt Hall led the Trojans. Hall held first place for the majority of the race before finishing second with a time of 25:42.6.
"Matt has had a fantastic season," said head coach Lance Vanderberg. "He has been running very consistently. He has a tremendous mindset with racing. He enters the races very relaxed but focused."
Senior Zach Warner followed Hall with a tenth place 26:38:2 finish, and senior Ethan Evans finished in eleventh place at 26:40.7. Hall, Warner and Evans were all named to the 2014 All-Crossroads League Team.
"Everyone stepped up and we've had a lot of depth this season," Hall said. "Whenever a guy doesn't have a good race, another guy would step up."
Freshman Tyler Koteskey stepped up big for the Trojans by finishing 22nd with his personal best of 27:07.4. Sophomore Aaron Scott finished 31st with 27:29.2 to wrap up Taylor's top five runners on Saturday.
"As a team, I think everybody raised their level of excellence when we needed to," Vanderberg said. "The race was . . . a big battle in the middle portion of the race. . . . Our team as a whole stepped up in the second half of the race and particularly the last mile and a half."
Both the men's and women's teams will conclude their season in Lawrence, Kan. for the NAIA Nationals on Nov. 22.Photograph by Josh Adams
