The Augustana Vikings Cross Country Running Team traveled to Edmonton's Goldbar Park on Saturday, September 8 for the 2018/2019 season's first Grand Prix series race. The Grand Prix series consists of 5 races around the province, culminating in ACAC Provincial Championships which will take place in Vermillion this season.
This is the second year of the women's new distance of 6km, a standard which changed from a 5km distance in the 2016/2017 season. Running in the Viking's Women's team, Catherine Alcorn and Mack Grove crossed the line together with a time of 26:41, followed by teammates Tayla Koerber (30:44), Mia Spreen (31:14), Emily Lyseng (33:17), and Lina Lim (33:47).
Competing this weekend in the men's category, Noah Day with a time of 31:38 over 8km was Augustana's first male finisher in 29th place. Nathanael Tabert and Joseph Sartison had an exciting neck in neck finish after pacing together throughout the course. Braden Kelly posted a time of 33:43 and Timothy Shapka finished in 37:52.
Returning runners are excited about the new recruits who raced with them in Edmonton, including first year students Spreen, Tabert, and Day, first year runner Kelly, and master's student Alcorn. The majority of athletes competing this weekend put out promising results for the first race of the season and many achieved negative splits in kilometre markers. Both teams placed third in aggregate points this weekend. Coaches Gerhard Lotz and Robert Renman have plans for continued improvements over the season and team goals for CCAA Championships.
Submitted by Tayla Koerber
Photos courtesy Coach Robert Renman
