TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - The Trine University cross country teams faced the toughest competition they will see all season as they competed in the annual Indiana Intercollegiate races hosted by Indiana State University. The Thunder men finished 18th overall with 508 points while the women were also 18th with 533 points.
The University of Indiana won both the men’s and women’s races with 49 and 29 points respectively. The field was open to open to all Indiana colleges and universities and featured six combined nationally ranked teams throughout NCAA Divisions I, II, III and NAIA.
The men’s field saw 220 racers compete in the 8K race for 27 teams. The Thunder finished 11th amongst the Non-Division I teams, and sixth among the other Division III schools. The squad finished one spot ahead of Division I IPFW. Leading the way for the Thunder was seniors Matt Burgess (Valparaiso, Ind./Valparaiso) and Corbin Buckler (Marion, Ind./Eastbrook). Burgess finished in 61st place with a time of 26:52 while Buckler was 71st, finishing the course in a time of 27:16. Finishing in 95th was junior Michael Hammond (Columbia City, Ind./Bellmont) in a time of 27:46. Sophomore Sam Gray (Fort Wayne, Ind./Bishop Dwenger) completed the course in a time of 28:57 to finish 137th. Rounding out the men’s scoring for the Thunder was freshman Jesus Castillo (Goshen, Ind./Goshen) in a time of 29:23 to place 144th.
On the women’s side, the race consisted of 26 teams and 214 racers. Trine finished two points ahead of local rival Indiana Tech and was fifth among Division III schools. Senior Annalisa Krug (Battle Creek, Mich./Pennfield) led the Thunder in 77th place with a time of 20:15. Freshman Gabbie Bates (Hesperia, Mich./Hesperia) completed the 5K course in a time of 20:22 to finish in 85th. Fellow freshman Ariel McCoy (Garrett, Ind./Garrett) placed 109th, finishing in a time of 21:02. Senior Sannie Anderson (Hesperia, Mich./Hesperia) finished 120th in the field as she completed the race in a time of 21:18. Another freshman in Courtney Forsythe (West Mansfield, Ohio/Benjamin Logan) rounded out the Thunder scoring in 142nd place with a time of 22:09.
Trine will next compete in the MIAA Jamboree hosted by Saint Mary’s College on September 21, with races beginning at 5:00 p.m.