\WARRENVILLE, Ill. – The Carroll University men's and women's cross country teams competed at the CCIW Championships on Saturday, with both Pioneer squads placing eighth at St. James Farm in Warrenville.
Carroll's women finished with 190 points in the 6,000-meter championship race, while the Pioneer men totaled 225 points in the 8,000-meter championship race. Highlighting the day individually was freshman Allena O'Connell, who earned First Team All-CCIW honors with a fifth-place finish.
O'Connell led Carroll throughout the women's 6K, crossing the finish line in 22:35.8. Her fifth-place performance earned the freshman her first career All-Conference honor.
Hana Smith was the next Pioneer to finish, placing 35th overall with a time of 24:01.0, while freshman Norah Yang followed in 43rd at 24:13.9. Paola Orozco crossed the line in 25:13.2 to place 61st, followed by Rebecca Barnes, who completed Carroll's five scoring positions with a time of 25:49.2 and a 68th-place finish.
Sarah Tinder finished 70th with a time of 26:27.3, while Kyla Laabs rounded out Carroll's championship-race lineup in 71st at 26:36.6.
Three additional Pioneers competed in the women's open 6K. Abby Burie led the group with a time of 27:00.4, followed by Mei-Lin Sicinski in 29:17.5 and Anna Quast in 36:37.8.
On the men's side, Zach Ploszaj and Julian Bica Harrison led a tightly packed Carroll effort. Ploszaj was the first Pioneer across the line, finishing 39th overall in 27:16.0, with Bica Harrison just 1.7 seconds behind him in 40th at 27:17.7.
Donovan Menningen gave Carroll its third finisher inside the top 55, placing 55th with a time of 27:55.1. Rogan Leistiko followed in 61st at 28:22.1 before Luke Adams completed the Pioneers' scoring five with a 68th-place finish in 28:55.9.
Desmond Nieto rounded out Carroll's championship-race contingent, placing 77th in 30:01.0. Kadyn Voigt competed in the men's open 8K and finished with a time of 33:39.6.
With the conference championships complete, Carroll turns its attention to the NCAA Regional Championships on Saturday, November 14, in Northfield, Minn.
