Elon Cross Country Ventures to NCAA Pre-Nationals on Saturday

ELON, N.C. – Select members of the Elon University men’s and women’s cross country teams are back in action this weekend as the Phoenix competes at the NCAA Pre-Nationals on Saturday, Oct. 18, at the La Vern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Ind.

The Field
The meet will feature some of the top programs in the nation on both the men’s and women’s side as well as a number of the top individual runners in the country. The Phoenix will have seven women compete in the 5K blue race at 11 a.m. in Elyse Bierut, Shelby Cuddeback, Haylee Dawe, Emily Dunne, Jenny Gallagher, Kimberly Johansen, Tereza Novotna and Kaitlin Snapp.

Only two members of the Phoenix men’s team – Luis Vargas and Ari Rothschild – will race on Saturday in the 8K white race at 12:55 p.m. During last year’s Pre-Nationals, Vargas was the runner-up in his 8K race as he finished between a pair of outdoor track and field All-Americans with his time of 24:30.11.

Last Time Out
The majority of both the Elon men’s and women’s teams last competed at the Notre Dame Invitational on Oct. 3. Vargas won his third straight race of the year with his first-place finish in the men’s gold five-mile run. The senior from Angier, N.C., ran a time of 23:30.9 and was rewarded with his third Colonial Athletic Association Men’s Runner of the Week accolade.

On the women’s side, Gallagher was the Phoenix’s top finisher in the women’s blue race after crossing the line with a time of 16:54.8 after the original 5K run was rerouted to three-miles due to heavy rainfall. Both the men’s and women’s teams finished 14th overall in their respective races.

On Saturday, Oct. 11, a few members of both programs competed at the Royals Cross Country Challenge in Charlotte, N.C. Brigid Brennan set a new collegiate personal-best in the women’s 5K race with her time of 18:36.5 and was 14th overall out of 46 competitors. Senior Adam Bernstein led Elon in the men’s 8K run with an eighth-place standing out of 35 runners and a time of 25:53.3.

Up Next
Elon will compete in its first-ever CAA championship event as the Phoenix travels to Boston, Mass., for the league’s championship meet on Nov. 1.