XC: Women 10th, Men 11th at Heart Championships

BALDWIN CITY, Kan. - The men's and women's cross country teams competed on Saturday at the Heart Cross Country Championships in Baldwin City, with the Lady Eagles earning a tenth place finish and the men finishing in eleventh overall.

It was a cool, cloudy morning at the Baldwin City Golf Course, the home of the 2017 Heart of America Cross Country Championships, which left conditions nearly perfect for race day.

MidAmerica Nazarene won the women's championship, while the Missouri Valley Vikings won the men's title. Paulino Sanchez won the individual men's title while Bethany Brown of MNU took home the individual women's title.

Women's: Complete Results

Men's: Complete Results

Tenka Stringer was the top individual finisher for the Eagles in the 5K women's race, earning a 30th place finish with a time of 20:40.81. Penny Fenn, Avila's first ever qualifier for the NAIA National Championships a season ago, finished in 41st place with a time of 21:06.19. Nancy Chicas finished in 74th place for the Eagles, Murielle Mercier came in 81st place and Abigail Conner finished in 96th place.

The Lady Eagles were represented at the Heart Championships by three sophomores and two sophomores, making them the youngest group in the race on Saturday.

On the men's side, sophomore Tyler King earned Avila's top individual finish with a time of 27:56.29, good for a 31st place finish. Freshman Hauns Tholin was next up for the Eagles with a 64th place finish, followed by Matthew Roth in 65th place. Jacob Taylor finished in 74th place, Emil Ozoria finished in 84th place, and Ryan Mercer finished in 90th place.

Saturday's Heart Championships closed out the season for the Eagles, and also their time in the Heart of America Athletic Conference as Avila University will transition into the KCAC beginning in 2018.