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| Jacob Denbeaux |
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| Kayla Zboran |
Men's Results | Women's Results
Senior Kayla Zboran's second-team All-North Coast Athletic Conference performance led the way for The College of Wooster cross country teams at the NCAC Championships as the men placed sixth while the women finished in seventh-place on Sunday morning at the Lavern Gibson Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Ind.
Zboran's ninth-place run marked a four-spot improvement from last year's conference finish. The senior standout navigated the 6K course in 23:34.7, while her individual finish marked the program's highest since Colleen O'Neil crossed eighth at the 2011 championships.
Backing Zboran up were a pair of juniors in Ashley Ferguson and Mackenzie Kellar, who were the 43rd and 44th runners to cross. The duo finished just a second apart from each other at 25:17.4 and 25:18.7 respectively.
Sophomore Emani Kelley and senior Emily Reid were also part of that crowded middle of the pack and rounded out the Fighting Scots' scorers on the day. The duo came in right on top of each other at 25:36.5 and 25:36.8 and placed 50th and 51st respectively.
The men's team really delivered a collective big-meet performance as the sixth-place finish marked a two-spot improvement of where the team was forecasted in the pre-championship coaches' poll.
Sophomore Jacob Denbeaux led the way for the men, delivering a career-best 8K time of 27:39.8 to cross in 28th-place, just about 22 seconds out of an all-conference spot.
Senior Blake Pecoraro crossed at just over 28 minutes (28:01.4) to finish in 35th-place, while teammates Alex Chabraja and Geoffrey Carney-Knisely were right behind at 28:08.3 and 28:08.8 respectively to place 38th and 39th in the 101-competitor field.
Freshman Aedan Pettit rounded out the scorers with his 28:25.6 standing out for 46th-place.
In the team standings, Allegheny College won both team titles for the second year in a row, and each gender picked up their league-leading 13th conference crowns. DePauw University (54 points), Wabash College (58 points), Ohio Wesleyan University (109 points), and Denison University (156 points) rounded out the top five in the men's race. On the women's side, the top-five featured Oberlin College (60 points), DePauw (88 points), Kenyon College (89 points), and Ohio Wesleyan (112 points).
Next, Wooster hosts its annual Twilight 5K Challenge on Friday, Nov. 4.