Traveling out of state for the first time this season, the Southwestern Spartan cross country team saw multiple lifetime and season best performances at the Chili Pepper Cross Country Festival in Fayetteville, AR. Competing in one of the largest collegiate races in the country, the Spartan men placed 34th of 44 complete teams, while the Lady Spartans finished 38th of 39 complete teams.
The men's team, racing for the first time this season over 8,000m, were led by Nate Hoyt (Shenandoah) with his 141st place finish in a personal best time of 26:58. Hoyt's time ranks as the number four all-time performance over 8,000m in Southwestern Community College history. Freshman Jacob Bolinger raced to a time of 27:36 and a 194th place finish. Bolinger's performance placed him at number eight on the all-time list at Southwestern. Gabe Esser (Winterset), Kevin Dietrich (Port Neches, TX), and Chance Webster (Panora) finished the scoring for the Spartans.
"I was very proud of the race our men ran today. To be on the start line with 390 other runners is intimidating, but they rose to the challenge," said Head Coach Nick Ekel. "Nate and Jacob ran great, and continually passed runners throughout the race. They were rewarded with the number four and number eight all-time performances in Southwestern history."
The Spartan women had a record setting day, as every runner set a season or personal best time for the 5,000m distance. The team was led by freshman Kimberly Zepeda (Rockford, IL), who finished in 145th place with a 5,000m time of 20:11. Zepeda's time moved her to number two on Southwestern's all-time list, behind Kalli McCann's 20:00 from 2012. Freshman Jenna Faust (Earlham) placed 274th in a season's best time of 23:15, Odette Muziranenge (West Des Moines) placed 285th in a personal best time of 23:57. Freshman Madison Mace (Griswold) set a lifetime best with her 24:26, and Jasmine Forward (Red Oak) placed 298th with a time of 25:20.
"Our women came to race today, with every runner setting a season or lifetime best for the 5k distance," remarked Ekel. "Kimmie Zepeda ran a good race today, and she was rewarded with a season's best, and the number two time in Spartan history. As a team, we will continue to improve as we collectively gain fitness."
The Spartans will be in action this Saturday at the BCU Invitational hosted by Briar Cliff University in McCook Lake, SD. Follow Spartan Track & Field and Cross Country on Twitter at @SWCC_Track_XC.