Ball State University Athletics
Cross Country Returns To Louisville For Pre-Nationals
October 16, 2015 | Cross Country
MUNCIE, Ind. - - In its second race at the site of the 2015 NCAA Championships, the Ball State cross country team returns to E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park in Louisville, Ky., for Saturday's NCAA Pre-Nationals meet. The Cardinals are entered in the Women's 6K Black Race which is scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m.
In its first 6K race of the season, and final tune-up before the Mid-American Conference Championships hosted by Akron Oct. 31, Ball State is schedule to run among a field of 39 teams which includes six fellow conference programs; Akron, Buffalo, Central Michigan, Miami, Ohio and Western Michigan.
“Saturday's meet will be our first 6K race of the year, which will be a nice change from the 5K's we have been running up until this point,” first-year distance coach Raynee DeGrio said. “The way we train is definitely better suited for a 6K, and it's where our overall skill set lies. We are excited about running the course in Louisville again. It's a great course and always features high-level competition, which will help us greatly as we prepare for the conference championships in a couple of weeks.”
In its first trip to Louisville this season, the Cardinals seven scored runners posted an average 5K time of 19:35.20 in the Greater Louisville Classic Women's Blue Race (Oct. 3), knocking almost a full minute off its average of 20:22 the precious time out. In addition, six of Ball State's seven runners turned in season-best efforts at the meet to help the squad place 19th among the 33 teams entered in the race.
For the second consecutive outing, freshman Rachel Bales (West Lafayette, Ind./West Lafayette) led the Cardinals to the finish line at the Greater Louisville Classic, placing 84th among scored runners with a time of 19:17.71. The effort was just shy of her career-best time of 19:16.3 set at the Indiana Intercollegiates (Sept. 18), which is Ball State's top 5K time of the season.
Junior Ericka Rinehart (Angola, Ind./Angola) enters the meet with the top career 6K time among Ball State's active runners, with a clocking of 23:26 at last season's MAC Championships (Nov. 1, 2014). Classmate Jordan Timmons' (Bargersville, Ind./Center Grove) career-best 6K effort is only one second behind, at 23:27 set in the 2013 NCAA Great Lakes Regional (Nov. 15, 2013).
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State cross country, follow @BallStateSports, @BallStateTFXC and @CoachE_BSU.
Ball State Season / Career Fast Times
|
Runner |
2015 Top 5K Times () or * = career best |
2015 Top 6K Time () or * = career best |
|
19:16.3* on 9/18/15 |
N/A |
|
|
19:31.3 on 10/3/15 (18:58.35 on 9/13/13) |
N/A (23:27 on 11/15/13) |
|
|
19:33.97 on 10/3/15 (19:09.68 on 9/13/13) |
N/A (23:26 on 11/1/14) |
|
|
19:37.73 on 10/3/15 (19:30.60 on 10/3/14) |
N/A (24:33.12 on 9/5/14) |
|
|
19:55.53* on 10/3/15 |
N/A (25:47.2 on 11/7/14) |
|
|
19:59.55 on 10/3/15 (19:36.83 on 9/13/14) |
N/A (23:49 on 11/1/14) |
|
|
20:47.20 on 10/3/15 (20:23.5 on 10/3/14) |
N/A (25:44.01 on 9/5/14) |
|
|
21:56.8* on 9/18/15 |
N/A |
|
|
22:13.8* on 9/5/15 |
N/A (29:48.27 on 9/7/13) |
|
|
N/A (19:12.4 on 10/3/14) |
N/A (23:42 on 11/1/14) |
|
|
N/A |
N/A |
- BallStateSports.com -
