Bettendorf, IA – The IHCC women's cross country team punched their ticket to the NJCAA Cross Country National Championships in Garden City, Kansas on November 10th behind All-Region finishes from sophomores Kaylee Ford & Ashlyn Elmore.
Ford raced her way to a 17th place finish, as Elmore finished 22nd.
Ford said after the race, "I was really pleased with my race. This year I have really tried to focus on just having fun, and enjoying the process. I believe that changing my focus has really helped me to improve, and was a huge reason why I was able to achieve being All-Region and a National Qualifier. It makes me super excited for what I can do at Nationals on a fast course!".
Freshman Halley Wilmes just missed earning All-Region Honors, finishing 26th, one spot off of the accolade. Freshman Morgan Lawson finished 27th, while sophomore Traci Ervin rounded out the top-5 scoring-effort for the Warriors with a 35th place finish. The women's team finished 4th, a handful of points away from the 3rd place NIACC.
Coach Ewing said after the race, "Out women put together one of their best meets of the season, although the results may not show it. The cart leader took a wrong turn, and the course ended up being nearly 300-meters long. Several of them would have set personal bests, or near personal bests." Ewing continued to say, "It was great to see all of the girls' hard work pay off, and I'm excited to see what they can do in two weeks on a fast course."
The Lady Warriors will return to action on Saturday, November 11th, in Garden City, Kansas for the NJCAA Cross Country National Championships. Race time is slated for 11:45 a.m.