ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Both Carroll University cross country teams competed at the Augustana Interregional Invitational on Saturday, facing a deep and competitive field. The Pioneers battled through challenging conditions, with the women's team finishing 18th out of 28 and the men's team placing 25th out of 32.
Women's 6K Recap
Carroll's women's squad posted a strong effort, recording a combined time of 2:43:15.2 and averaging 27:15 per runner. Sophomore Hana Smith led the way for the Pioneers, finishing in 73rd place with a time of 24:59.4. She was followed by Paola Orozco (26:24.6) and Brooke Davies (27:05.9), while Abby Burie and Kyla Laabs rounded out the scoring five with times of 27:11.8 and 27:15.3, respectively.
Additional depth came from Rebecca Barnes (27:26.7) and Mia Kim (27:52.1), with Kayla Hirschmann posting a season-best of 29:26.8. The Pioneers showcased resilience across the lineup, competing against nationally ranked programs and maintaining tight splits among their top runners.
Men's 8K Recap
The Carroll men's team finished 25th overall with a combined time of 2:27:32.8, averaging 29:30 per runner. Senior Ethan Weber paced the Pioneers, clocking 27:41.6 for 111th place. Freshman Sam Daley followed in 28:16.7, while Julian Bica Harrison (28:48.9), Donovan Menningen (29:52.9), and Rogan Leistiko (32:56.7) completed the scoring five.
Despite two runners not finishing, the squad demonstrated grit and determination against a stacked field. The experience gained at this meet will be valuable as the team looks to sharpen its pack-running strategy heading into the championship stretch.
The Pioneers will return to action at the CCIW Championships November 1st, aiming to build on the lessons learned from a challenging interregional test as they will compete once again in Rock Island.
