On Oct. 22, the Indiana University Kokomo Cougars traveled to Grand Rapids Michigan to race in the Great Lakes Cross Country Challenge. The men competed in the maroon race, where they faced off against 20 teams that have received national recognition.

The men’s team was led by junior Luis Saldana who ran a 26:19, placing 87th. Sophomore Drew Caldwell finished right next to Saldana, running a personal best with a 26:19 and placing 89th. Next for the men was junior Nathan Lozoya who ran a personal best of 27:01, placing 159th. Senior Cyrus Felger was right behind Lozoya running a 27:05 and placing 163rd. Senior Bryce Jennings rounded out the Cougar’s top five running a 27:24 placing 183rd.

The total time was the fastest in school history, and good enough to place 25 of 29 teams.

“I’ve been getting over my sickness, and it feels good to be running back to my full potential,” Saldana said in his post-race interview.

“I told our men to be careful about what they wished for as this is pretty much a national pre-meet,” Head Coach Josh Colvin said. “We got the call-up and ran well; our captains didn’t do their job, but overall, our guys ran well.”

The women competed in the white race, where they squared off against some conference opponents.

The women’s team was led by senior Casey Pfefferkorn who placed 9th with a time of 19:40. Pfefferkorn was followed by freshman Joy McDivitt, who placed 25th with a personal best time of 20:07. Next for the Cougars was senior April Chrisman who placed 53rd with a time of 20:48. Not far behind Chrisman was sophomore Isabelle Altic who placed 59th running a 20:54. Freshmen Leslie Sprankles rounded out the Cougars five running a 20:56 and placing 62nd.

“I am overall happy with the time, but it sucks being so close to that 19-minute 5K and not able to get under 20.” McDivitt said after the race.

“Our women did well. We faced some nationally ranked B-teams, and make no mistake, just because they are a ‘B team’, doesn’t mean they aren’t any good,” said Colvin.

Two weeks later, the Indiana University Kokomo men’s and women’s cross-country teams competed at their conference meet on Nov. 5. The meet was held at Northview Church in Kokomo, which marks the first time IU Kokomo has hosted the conference meet.

The conditions were not ideal for racing, as wind gusts reached up to 30 miles per hour. The men were led by junior Luis Saldana in the 8,000-meter race, who ran a time of 27:28 placing 6th overall, qualifying as an individual for the NAIA national meet in Tallahassee, Florida. This will be Saldana’s second time qualifying as an individual in cross country.

Following Saldana was senior Cyrus Felger who ran 27:37 placing 10th. Junior Nathan Lozoya came in next for the Cougars running a 28:11 and placing 17th. Sophomore Drew Caldwell was right behind Lozoya, placing 18th with a 28:12. Freshmen Bryce Stateler rounded out the top five with a time of 28:39 placing 27th.

“A lot of setup was put into this race. Our men ran decent but not what we needed as we came up short. Regardless, it was a historic season, and I am proud to be their coach.” Head Coach Josh Colvin said.

The women were led by senior Casey Pfefferkorn who ran a 19:55 in the 5,000-meter race and placing 4th. This performance also qualified her as an individual for the NAIA national meet in Florida.

Freshman Leslie Sprankles came in next for the Cougars, placing 10th with a time of 20:28. Next, freshman Joy McDivitt and senior April Chrisman finished next to each other placing 18th and 19th both running a 20:59. Sophomore Isabelle Altic rounded out the Cougars top five with a time of 21:26 placing 26th.

“I’ve been so close to going before; I think I was a spot off for three years in a row, so finally getting over that hump and qualifying in my last season is a relief,” Pfefferkorn said after the race.

“Our ladies ran well in these tough conditions, and I am also proud to be called their coach,” Coach Colvin said after their race.