Cisco wins Women's 5K White Race at NAIA Great Lakes Challenge, Elick finishes fourth as SSU women's XC claims second place team finish
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Olivia Cisco and Jessica Elick are fast.
And if their times are any indication, they both could be in for successful postseasons.
In the final tuneup for the Shawnee State women's cross country program prior to the River States Conference Championships, Cisco and Elick starred again -- with Cisco winning the 168-runner Women's 5K White Race with a new personal-best time of 18:23.5 and Elick nabbing a personal-best 19:11.9 to finish fourth.
Their efforts were simply part of an outstanding overall showing that saw all seven Shawnee State runners who participated set personal bests -- as the Bears finished second in the 19-team event as part of the NAIA Great Lakes Challenge at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Mich. Saturday afternoon.
"The women's team has a goal of progression each time out, and have risen to that occasion every race," Shawnee State Cross Country and Track and Field Director Conner Flynn said. "We were out to win, and their effort reflected that."
Shawnee State, who finished second with a 98-point output, was led by Cisco who ran an 18:23.5 to set a massive personal best en route to finishing under 19 minutes in the 5K for the first time in her career. The junior from Waverly ran over 48 seconds faster than her previous personal best of 19:11.9 that was set at the Live in Lou XC Classic back on Oct. 5.
Elick, who matched Cisco's previous personal best by running a 19:11.9 to finish fourth in the NAIA Great Lakes Challenge, bettered her own personal best by a significant margin as well -- as the sophomore from Frankfort ran nearly 27 full seconds faster than her previous best time that was recorded at the Live in Lou.
"Olivia Cisco and Jessica Elick show up time and time again," Flynn said. "Cisco looked confident from the gun and that's why she could execute and ultimately get the win. Jessica Elick is continuing to find her own in the running world, and it's special to see."
Continuing the strong effort down the leaderboard, Juniper Allen logged a top-30 finish by finishing 29th after finishing under the 20-minute mark in the 5K for the first time in her career. Allen ultimately ran a 19:54.5, a time that was nearly 39 full seconds faster than her previous personal standard of 20:33.4 set at the Live in Lou XC Classic.
Beth Middleton, who finished 39th, also made a massive gain -- as the Olive Hill, Ky. native ran a 20:20.2 to beat out her previous best 5K mark of 21:06.8 by over 46-and-a-half seconds, cracking her first time under 21 minutes in the process in the 5K. Kirsten Evans, in claiming 51st, logged a personal best that was nearly 45 full seconds faster than her previous PB, running a 20:41.7 to also crack 21 minutes for the first time.
Sydney Reed, who ran a 20:58.9 to finish 60th, and Amanda Salmons, who nabbed 76th in running a 21:29.2, made it seven-for-seven on the Shawnee State women's cross country side in terms of personal bests. Reed ran nearly 17 seconds faster than her previous PB and ran under 21 minutes for the first time in her career in the 5K, while Salmons, who ran under 22 minutes for the first time in the 5K, ran over 47 seconds faster than her prior PB also.
With the regular season in the books, Shawnee State will turn its attention to the River States Conference Championships Saturday, Nov. 9 -- which will be held at Angel Mounds State Park in Evansville, Ind. It's an event that looks to be up for grabs -- and one that Flynn believes Shawnee State can claim with a strong effort.
"We are excited for our women's team, who we believe will have a shot at the conference championship with a good day," Flynn said. "We just have to focus on what we can control, and continue on the course we've been on."
