Women's Results l
Men's Results
WICHITA FALLS – ACU junior Chloe Susset, running with a heavy heart on Saturday, won the individual championship at the NCAA Division II South Central Region cross country championships, giving the ACU women their seventh individual regional championship in the last 10 years.
Susset covered the 6-kilometer course at the Hawk Ridge Golf Course in a time of 21:37.90 to win the championship and earn a spot in the NCAA Division II national championship meet, which will be run NOv. 19 at Plantes Ferry Athletic Complex in Spokane, Wash.
Susset's teammate, Alyse Goldsmith, finished fourth in a time of 21:50.70 and also earned a spot in the national championship meet, giving ACU the two individual spots from the region in the national meet.
Susset said she dedicated her race to ACU sophomore Anabel Reid, who died Friday in a tragic bus accident as she and other members of the ACU agriculture and environmental sciences department were on their way to Medina Children's Home for a weekend of missions work.
Susset said she didn't know Reid personally, but added that several of her friends did and that she was affected by her death.
"I was thinking about her (Saturday) throughout the race," Susset said, "and I was thankful that I was healthy and able to run."
Susset joins Yuliya Stashkiv (2003), Adeh Mwamba (2004), Trina Cox (2005), Winrose Karunde (2007, 2008) and Anais Belledant (2010) as individual regional champions from ACU over the last 10 years.
"I'm excited for my next race and I;m glad to be going with Alyse," Susset said. "I will still give my best at this race, but now it's more about having fun and I can run free in my mind. Not having that pressure any more to qualify will be great.”
Goldsmith, too, is glad to have qualified for the national meet along with a teammate.
“It's going to be great running as a team with Chloe in a state (Washington) that's know for its running," Goldsmith said. "I'm so glad neither of us is going alone. It's going to be a fun and exciting trip.
“It was very intense and challenging," she said. "I didn't get out to the start I wanted to, but I pushed through knowing I had to shoot for a spot in the top five. At the start of the last 1,000 meters I was in third place still kicking it, never relaxing, never wanting to quit, and that created a lot of pressure."
ACU second-year head coach Chris Woods coached his second straight individual regional champion and was excited by what he saw from his tandem of Susset and Goldsmith.
"I saw a lot of confidence in Chloe's face like she knew she had this race in the bag, and in Alyse I saw a lot of determination even as she slipped from third to fourth in going for second place," Woods said. "Two very contrasting looks – sheer determination to complete relaxation.”
“The race gave me goose bumps and I told one of the parents that this was probably one of my finest moments at ACU," he said. "I'm very proud and appreciative to be coaching these young ladies, and it makes me feel good to have coached the individual champion two years in a row. Now it's time to get the whole team to nationals.”
Midwestern State won its first women's regional team cross country championship, edging runner-up Pittsburg State 102-118. On the men's side, Eastern New Mexico won its first NCAA Division II South Central Region championship in any sport with 53 points. The Greyhounds had five runners in the top 17 to beat runner-up East Central (Okla.).
ACU had three runners in the men's championship meet, but none earned all-region honors or qualified for the national meet. Fabian Wessel-Terharn was ACU's top finisher at 26th overall, covering the 10-kilometer course in 32:34.70. Will Pike was 37th overall in 32:59.20, while
Erik Forrister was 57th in 33:32.60.
“Fabian had a mishap where he lost his shoe, and as a result finished one spot short of making the all-region team," Woods said. "I think if we can add a couple more components, on more front runner on the men's team, we'll get back where we need to be.”
