WARRENVILLE, Ill. -- The North Park University Men's and Women's cross-country team opened postseason competition on Saturday at the CCIW Championships in Warrenville, Illinois.
The men's 8,000-meter race started the day. The Vikings Senior Sean Sanaghan was North Park's leader, crossing the line in 28:01.0 – good for 59th overall. Senior Silas Madrigal clocked a 32.44.4-time to finish second among Viking runners – the highest placement of his career. Junior Michael Kleiner (37:12.1) helped round out the rest of the team's finish.
On the women's side, the Vikings placed 9th with 295 points in the 6,000-meter race.
Freshman Sophie Hummitsch led the charge for North Park for the entire race, posting a 28:38.8 mark. Sophomore Erika Ver Beek was right behind her and crossed the line in 28:44.5. Sophomore Mackenzie Engbert made a splash in her CCIW Championship debut and finished in 29:07.3. Junior Emma Klein (29:45.9) and Freshman Sofia Volkmann (34:48.0) wrapped up the top five for the Vikings.
"I thought our athletes had a great race," North Park coach Bisrat Kidane said. "They have been running consistently all season long. It was a challenging course with all the rain we had the day prior but, despite that, they showed great poise and stuck to the race plan. Our team is very young and will be better moving forward because of the efforts they showed today. Extremely proud of them"
Sophie Hummitsch and Silas Madrigal were the NPU recipients of the RESPECT award, following the championship race.
RESPECT Award
At the conclusion of every sports season, each varsity program will recognize one student-athlete as their RESPECT Award honoree. RESPECT Award recipients have distinguished themselves as an integral member of the team, their institution and community by upholding the values of Responsibility, Enthusiasm, Service, Pride, Excellence, Collaboration and Trust. The RESPECT Award recognizes the intangible traits a student-athlete possesses that exemplify great character and encourages inclusiveness and a positive culture.
Season Best:
Emma Klein – 29:45.9
Sean Sanaghan – 28:01.0
Personal Records:
Mackenzie Engbert – 29:07.3
Silas Madrigal – 32:44.4
Michael Kleiner – 37:12.1
What's Next?
The Vikings prepare for the NCAA Midwest Regional meet in Waverly, Iowa on Nov. 11. However, before that, they will face Concordia-Chicago for a dual meet at Legion Park on Nov. 1. This will be a tune-up meet before the regional race.
