(Editor’s note: Carroll College athletics release)
LEWISTON, Idaho — Carroll College’s cross country team raced in Lewiston, Idaho, where the men finished 13th and the women finished 16th on Saturday at the Inland Empire Challenge.
“It was definitely a beautiful day here in Lewiston with great footing and great competition,” head coach Ryan Utsey said. “We saw a lot of Division I teams and NCAA teams here today.”
Carroll competed against other NAIA schools including Rocky Mountain College, Lewis-Clark State College, Montana Western and MSU-Northern, along with NCAA D-I schools such as Washington State, Central Washington, Boise State and Gonzaga.
Chance Hyatt, a senior from Bainville, Montana, finished best of the Carroll men, 40th overall with a time of 25:29.
Second for Carroll and 86th overall was John Cooney, a junior from Spokane, Washington, with a time of 26:16.
The rest of the men’s team included Spencer Swaim in 98th with a time of 26:38, Noah Majerus in 121st with a time of 27:13, Ben Wood in 155th with a time of 28:42, Patrick Miranne in 166th with a time of 29:48 and Drake Johnson in 167th with a time of 29:52.
“Chance (Hyatt) had a really good race there, and John (Cooney) really stepped it up and had a good performance,” Utsey said. “A couple of the guys struggled with the fast, flat course. We are more geared towards courses like Great Falls.”
For the women, Kendyl Pierson, a sophomore from Livingston, Montana, placed first for Carroll and 89th overall with a time of 19:38.
Coming in second for Carroll and 136th overall was Elly Machado, a sophomore from Castleford, Idaho, with a time of 20:56.
The rest of the women’s team included Abby Hammermeister in 139th with a time of 21:00, Hannah Mikesell in 148th with a time of 21:38, Taylor Leistiko in 154th with a time of 22:17, and Hannah Johnson in 157th with a time of 24:55.
“Individually, almost every single girl had a PR [personal record],” said Utsey. “This was definitely a stepping stone for the future.”
Both men and women race again on Friday, Oct. 19 in Dillon, Montana at the University of Montana-Western.
