Maple Leads XC put best foot forward in Louisville

The men and women’s cross country teams put together strong showings at the Louisville Sports Commission Classic last Saturday; with the men posting the fastest team time in program history. 

The men finished 33rd overall, good for fourth among NAIA schools. Senior Vincent Kibunja clocked in first for Goshen for the third race in a row. He achieved a personal best as well as the second-fastest run in the schools program history with a time of 24:49.7, good for 68th overall. 

Salvador Escamilla, a junior, finished 134th overall with a personal best of 25 minutes and 15.9 seconds; the eighth fastest time in Maple Leaf history.

Liam Elias, a sophomore, joined the two Goshen runners in front of him to finish within the top 50. Elias finished with the 46th fastest time in school history, which was also the fastest time by a sophomore in five years. His time of  25:57.2 placed him 241st overall. 

Dan Kipchumba, a sophomore, and Max Burkholder, a senior, closed out the top five Maple Leaf runners. Kipchumba finished 267th overall with a time of 26:14.2, and Burkholder’s time of 26:33.7 put him at 290th.

Victor Kiprotich, a sophomore, placed sixth on the team and 329th overall with a time of 27:10.7, and freshman runner Jackson Steinmetz finished seventh among Goshen runners and 344th in the race, clocking in at 27:35.6. 

The women’s team also found success, as they finished 21st among NAIA schools and 51st overall. Alena Miller, a first-year, led the Maple Leafs across the finish line. Miller finished 175th overall with a personal record time of 20:12.5. 

Erica Gunden, a first-year, and Makayla Collier, a junior, clocked in next for the Maple Leafs, both achieving personal bests. Gunden finished 248th with a time of 20:42.7 and Collier ten places behind at 258th with a time of 20:48.0. 

Ariana Perez Diener, a junior, finished 314th with a time of 21:14.9, and Lydia Holsopple, a first-year, finished with a time of 23:51.7, good for 478th place. 

The Maple Leafs return to the course this Friday to compete in the Bethel University Invitational. The women begin at 5 p.m., and the men start at 5:45 p.m.