Rodriguez Leads Strong Effort at Live in Lou XC Classic

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - - There was no one in the Mid-American Conference faster than the Ball State cross country team Saturday morning at E.P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park in Louisville, Kentucky.

The Cardinals beat two other conference teams to the finish line, while senior Maritza Rodriguez turned in the best individual time among MAC runners, as Ball State placed 14th among a strong field of 39 teams in the Gold Race of the Live in Lou Cross Country Classic.

"Our team performance was another step in the right direction," distance coach Rachel McFarlane said. "We were better in some areas, yet we still have some work to do in others. We had some people really step up today which was exciting to see."

One runner who stepped up in a big way was Rodriguez, as she shaved nearly 40 seconds off her previous career best 5K time to place 16th among the 342-runner field in 17:33.0. It was another big race in Louisville for the senior from Indianapolis, whose prior career-fast effort of 18:12.5 came in the same race last season.

"Maritza stuck her nose in it today, and it paid off with a huge performance," McFarlane said.

Overall, six of Ball State's eight runners turned in career-best 5K times Saturday, while the Cardinals top five runners finished with a minute of each other and averaged 18:15 for the race. In addition, it was the program's best team finish in a Gold Race at the Louisville Classic, as well as the best individual performance for a BSU student-athlete on the course.

Freshman Vivian Van Eck was Ball State's second-fastest runner Saturday, taking 77th in her first collegiate race on the E.P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park course with a time of 18:14.7. Senior Peyton Kneadler was right behind, logging a career-fast 18:25.6 to round out the race's top 100 runners.

Also finishing in the top five for the Cardinals were freshman Juliana Stogsdill (107th in 18:29.6) and sophomore Emma Cunningham (115th in 18:32.6). Both runners clocked personal-bests in the race.

Rounding out Ball State's runners in the meet were sophomore Karleigh Conner (147th - 18:46.2), redshirt freshman Meghan Hedrick (196th in 19:05.3) and sophomore Maddie Aul (263rd in 19:33.7).

"Peyton Kneadler is having a fantastic season," McFarlane continued. "It's really exciting to see her executing her races. I also think Meghan Hedrick really stood out today. She is starting to figure things out in her first season running cross country, and her times keep dropping. Emma Cunningham also ran well. Overall, I am really proud of the whole group."

The Ball State cross country program returns to action Friday, Oct. 18, when it hosts the Cardinal Classic at the Muncie Elks Country Club. The women's 6K race will begin at 4:45 p.m., while a men's 8K race will follow at 5:15 p.m.

The meet will also kick off Ball State's Alumni Weekend which runs Oct. 18-19. Events on the weekend include:
Friday
5:30 p.m. - Cardinal Classic
7:30 p.m. - Alumni Social at the Muncie Elks
Saturday
Noon - Football Pregame Tailgate in CharlieTown (West Lawn of the Alumni Center)
2 p.m. - Ball State Football vs. Toledo Homecoming Game (On-field Recognition)

There is still plenty of time to register for Alumni Weekend at  https://t.co/l7oijQ1lVn

For the most up-to-date news on Ball State cross country, follow @BallStateSports and @BallStateTFXC.

Ball State Individual Results at Live in Lou Cross Country Classic
Overall / Scored        Runner                              Time
16th/16th                Maritza Rodriguez             17:33.0* (18:12.5)
77th/76th                Vivian Van Eck                   18:14.7*
100th/99th               Peyton Kneadler                18:25.6*
107th/106th             Juliana Stogsdill                 18:29.6*
115th/114th             Emma Cunningham           18:32.6*
147th/142nd            Karleigh Conner                 18:46.2
196th/187th             Meghan Hedrick                19:05.3*
263rd/DNS               Maddie Aul                       19:33.7

Live in Lou Cross Country Classic Team Results (14th of 39 Teams)
1st - Middle Tennessee State - 103
2nd - Lipscomb - 145
3rd - Xavier - 175
4th - Johns Hopkins - 195
5th - Marquette - 201
MAC Teams
14th - Ball State - 411
19th - Bowling Green - 526
28th - Ohio - 678

Rodriguez Leads Strong Effort at Live in Lou XC Classic

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Players Mentioned

Maddie Aul

Karleigh Conner

Emma Cunningham

Meghan Hedrick

Peyton Kneadler

Maritza Rodriguez

Juliana Stogsdill

Vivian Van Eck