2020 Women's XC Season Capsule
The Bearcats completed the 2020 cross country season on November 7th at the 2020 River States Conference XC Championship. Here are the top 5 headlines from the 2020 season:
Women's Program Continues to Progress:
The Brescia University women's cross country team's season finished earlier this month on November 7th at the River States Conference Cross Country Championship hosted by the University of Rio Grande. Despite it being an unconventional season, the coaching staff feels strong about the direction of the program moving forward.
"I feel encouraged by what we were able to accomplish this season. We were without two of our top five runners for the entire season, so for us to still be able to move up a spot at the conference championship is good to see," said Head Coach Luke Stoffel.
Going into the season, the Bearcats were projected to finish 11th in the conference in the Preseason Coaches Poll, but instead finished two places better at 9th.
Huelsman Builds on Strong Indoor Track Season:
Abagale Huelsman (SO, Fort Branch, Ind.) carried over the momentum that she built up from her strong performance at the 2019 River States Conference Indoor Track & Field Championship meet to this cross country season. At last year's Indoor Conference, Abbye finished 3rd in the 3,000m race with a time of 11:56, earning her All-Conference honors as a freshman. She also contributed to Brescia's 4x800m relay and the Distance Medley Relay. She was responsible for 15 total points at the meet.
She carried over the success from last track season to this XC season, improving her collegiate 5k PR from 22:53 in 2019 to 21:08 in 2020. She ran faster than her fastest time from 2019 in five out of the six meets we competed in this past season.
"I am pleased to see Abbye continuing to improve each season. I believe her best races are still ahead of her," said Stoffel.
Freshmen Class Adds a Spark:
Newcomers Sophia Warthen and Sheyenna Stytz brought an immediate impact to the team.
Sophia, a freshman from Elizabethtown High School, finished as the top runner on the team at the RSC Cross Country Championship, narrowly missing a top 20 finish (22nd). Her fastest time of the season came at the Midwest XC Challenge, when she finished the 5k at 21:26.
Sheyenna, a freshman from Livingston Central High School, scored for the Bearcats in her first season with the team. She improved her 5k PR from 24:36 to 23:57, a 39 second PR, at our home meet, the Fast Cats Classic. She ran under her high school PR twice.
Bearcats Support the Community:
The team took part in a group community service project to help the community most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic on Tuesday, November 17th. Each member of the team wrote two letters to residents at the Owensboro Center nursing home to become penpals, totaling approximately 40 letters.
"We're all so busy with our own challenges in life that I think at times we forget how much a small gesture can mean to someone," said Assistant Coach Kyle Robinson.
Severs Earns Champions of Character Award:
Mckenzie Severs, a sophomore from Hancock County High School, was Brescia's representative for the River States Conference Champions of Character award.
The Champions of Character program recognizes athletes who excel in the five core values of the NAIA: Integrity, respect, servant leadership, responsibility, and sportsmanship.