The Asbury men’s and women’s teams officially ended their regular season with their home meet, the Chick-fil-A Invitational. Both the men’s and women’s teams took third place, beaten by Bellarmine and Midway.
Finishing first for the Eagles were sophomores Carolina Trumpower and Wesley Preston. Preston finished 4th overall with his 8k time at 28:06. Trumpower finished 2nd overall out of the field of 50. Her 5K time was 20:22, marking a personal record.
“Getting second was a big success for me,” Trumpower said. “I wanted to be where Bethany Hamilton was last year at this race – and I was really pumped that I got the same time and place as her.”
The home meet gave the teams a unique opportunity to showcase talent to fellow students in an area familiar to them.
“Competing at home is rewarding because our team has more opportunities to bring glory to God! Our course is known to be pretty difficult – but through other runners experiencing it-our work ethic and dedication to running and to the Lord can be recognized,” Trumpower said. “Racing at home helps everyone get pumped up as well.”
However, being at home does not come without its challenges.
“The Asbury cross country course is notoriously difficult,” Preston said. “You have to make a choice to be tough, or it will beat you down. I think that’s what makes this race so special.”
Despite the difficulties, the runners were able to display their hard work.
“I’m so proud of everyone at this meet,” Trumpower said. “We had some big PRs – which was crazy on such a hilly course! Everyone just worked really hard and encouraged each other which made the experience even better.”
This meet was able to highlight all that the team was able to accomplish this year.
“This is a very talented young group,” Preston said. “There have been growing pains, but I greatly look forward to seeing everybody mature into more game-changing athletes. To have a freshman and sophomores stepping up like this, it’s amazing.”
All the team has left this year is the NCCAA National Championship on Nov. 13 in Joplin, MO. This championship is a big deal as the women missed qualifying last year by only 2 points.
“Going into nationals I know our team will be more confident because of how well we’ve been racing,” Trumpower said. “Our dedication and perseverance will pay off – and I’m praying the results will be seen at nationals even more so than at our home meet.”
