Stringer Paces Avila To First-Ever Team Title

NEWTON, Kan. -- Competing in less-than-ideal conditions on the Harvey County East Lake Course, the Avila University women's cross country team earned its first-ever meet win on Saturday morning. Tink Stringer paced the Eagles with a time of 19:30.42, good for first place overall on the individual ledger. AU collected 50 points in the event, with second place Tabor College scoring 55.

"I'm very proud of what our ladies accomplished today," said Je'Kel Smith, head coach. "They competed in some windy conditions but still managed to capture the first win in school history. The one thing I preached to them all week is that we have a chance to win this meet and make history. We have to close our gaps going forward if we want to improve on last year's fourth-place finish."

Stringer's time was only seven seconds off of her personal record of 19:23.1, and seven seconds better than Tabor's Emily Kemling, who finished second.

Penny Fenn also put in a solid performance for AU, with her time of 20:07.75 good for sixth in the field.

Finishing just outside the top 10 was Aubrey Cravy, with a time of 21:18.50 (11th) over the 5-kilometer course. Madison Carlton posted a time of 21:37.62, good for 15th in the race, with Abigail Conner also finishing in the top 20 with a time of 22:03.34 (19th). Ella Cravy (22:17.73, 22nd) rounded out the team for Avila.

Collectively, the Eagles were nearly a full minute faster than second-place finishers Tabor, with a total time of 1:44:37.61 (20:55.53 avg.) to 1:45:30.22 (21:06.05) for the Bluejays.

Avila's men also battled tough conditions, scratching out a fourth-place finish with 105 team points. Tyler King (28:49.46, 12th) and Matt Roth (30:02.24, 18th) each picked up top 20 finishes in the 8-kilometer race, with King less than a minute off his career best. Tom Bettis (31:08.97, 23rd), James Roth (31:52.96, 26th) and Myelle Tealer (35:36.83, 35th) also competed for the Eagles.