WPU Lands in Middle of Pack at Grinnell

Grinnell--The William Penn men's cross country team once again placed fourth as it battled at the Grinnell Les Duke Invitational Saturday.

For the second event in a row, the Statesmen were fourth out of eight teams (111 points).  Central captured the team crown with 37 points, while James Johnson of Simpson won the 8K competition with a time of 26:10.1.

Andrew Miller (Jr., Le Claire, Iowa, Exercise Science) topped the navy and gold by finishing 11th out of 135 total runners with a time of 27:31.5.

Gavin Huff (Jr., Mascoutah, Ill., Mechanical Engineering) ended up second for his crew, placing 23rd in 28:16.8, while Carson Springer (Jr., Grimes, Iowa, Business Management) captured the squad bronze in 28:30.8.

Sutton Shively (So., Bloomfield, Iowa, Mechanical Engineering), in 29:14.0, and Jordan Davis (Sr., Loomis, Calif., Political Science), in 29:18.9, finished 42nd and 43rd, respectively, to wrap up William Penn's lineup.

Wualfret Morales (Fr., Ottumwa, Iowa, Physical Education) headlined the remaining Statesmen harriers in 55th place with a time of 29:35.7.

"It was a brutally warm day for running and we had a dense block of training the last couple of weeks," Head Coach Caleb Drake said.  "However, this group showed grit and toughness the way they handled the rough conditions and a difficult course.  They ran together and trusted each other throughout.  I really like where we are at as a team right now, and the potential we have for the remainder of our season."

Next Up: William Penn takes a week off before returning to action on Friday, September 26 as it travels to Pella to compete in the Central Dutch Open at 5 p.m.