Grand Rapids, Michigan - The women's cross country team showed a tremendous amount of grit and determination en route to a runner-up finish at this afternoon's WHAC Championships held at Riverside Park. The Saints tallied 49 points, only trailing 16th ranked Cornerstone in the final results.
Madison Rempalski led the Saints by covering the 6000 meter course at Riverside Park in a personal best time of 22:22. Her fourth place finish garnered her All-WHAC First Team honors. Sharing All-WHAC First Team accolades was
Amber Koole, who placed fifth in a time of 22:34. Koole was the top freshman in the field. The duo of
Lauren Wooer (23:01) and
Ella Koons (23:09) followed Madi and Amber through the finish chute as they placed 9th and 11th respectively. Both Wooer and Koons were named Second Team All-WHAC performers.
Ella Koons was also named Aquinas' Champion of Character representative. The fifth scoring position was recorded by
Mallory Bowker, who placed 22nd in a time 23:45.
Head Coach
Mike Wojciakowski commented, "What a difference two weeks makes. After a rough go of it at the NAIA Great Lakes Challenge we rebounded with our best effort of the season. I loved the women's resilience today. I am so happy for them and I could not be more proud of them. The women did their part to show they belong at the Championships in two weeks."
Also contributing to Aquinas' top seven were
Claire Walton, who finished 34th in a time of 24:43 and
Cadence Schultz (40th place), who crossed the line in 25:11.
A total of 103 individuals competed for 12 different programs.
The Saints will now wait for to see if they will receive one of the at-large berths to the NAIA National Championships in Columbia, Missouri.
