Ball State University Athletics
Cross Country Heads to Bloomington for Indiana Intercollegiate Meet
September 15, 2016 | Cross Country
MUNCIE, Ind. - - The Ball State cross country team will look to build upon a solid start to the 2016 season when it returns to action Friday at the Indiana Intercollegiate Meet hosted by Indiana at the IU Cross Country Course.
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A total of 22 teams from the state of Indiana are slated to compete in Friday's meet which will consist of two women's races and two men's races. The Cardinals will have six competitors entered in the 5K Women's Open Race at 3 p.m., as well as nine runners in the 5K Women's Championship Race which is slated to start at 4:40 p.m.
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"Since our last meet, we have gotten a lot better in terms of working together and being able to help each other during workouts," distance coach Raynee DeGrio said. "Hopefully, that will translate into us working better together as a pack and using each other for energy throughout the race. We are really excited to be back in action."
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On a roster which features nine newcomers, the Cardinals' youth turned in a strong showing at the season-opening Butler Open (Sept. 1) with four of the team's five scored runners making their Ball State debut at Northview Church in Carmel. Freshman Hannah Cummings (Ann Arbor, Mich./Saline) led the squad to the finish line and placed fourth overall with a time of 19:06.3. It was the fastest 5K in a season opener for the Cardinals since the 2012 season.
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Freshman Emily Tromp (Hibbing, Minn./Hibbing) also turned in a top 10 finish in Carmel, placing seventh among the 43-runner field in 19:12.2. As a team, the Cardinals placed third overall with a score of 53 points, just one behind second-place IUPUI.
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"With this big of a meet, we have to opportunity to add a few people to the lineup who didn't get a chance to compete at Butler," DeGrio added. "It will be interesting to see where they all fit in, especially Jordan Timmons who is one of our top returners from last year. Jordan is fitter than she was a year ago and is ready to go. Overall, it's going to be exciting to see how the team responds to the next level of competition. We are a really young team, so it's important for us to continue to get these racing experiences."
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After sitting out opening weekend, redshirt junior Jordan Timmons (Bargersville, Ind./Center Grove) will look to pick up where she left off last season. Timmons led the Cardinals at the 2015 Mid-American Conference Championships and was a top two runner for Ball State in each of the final four meets.
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Junior Jessica Bryzek (Brownsburg, Ind./Indiana Academy) led Ball State's returning student-athletes at the Butler Open, finishing fourth on the squad and 14th overall in 19:36.9 on the challenging Northview Church course. The effort was just six seconds slower than her career-best 5K time of 19:30.6 set her freshman year.
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For the most up-to-date news on Ball State cross country, follow @BallStateSports, @BallStateTFXC and @CoachE_BSU.
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- BallStateSports.com -
Players Mentioned
