Four freshmen Webster University cross-country runners posted personal best times in the NCAA III Midwest Regional at Winneconne, WI, on November 14. The four who entered, two men and two women, all set season highs in the most competitive field they had seen this year.
In the men's 8,000 meter race, Blake Harris (FR, O'Fallon HS, IL) ran the course in 28 minutes and 32 seconds, besting his previous high by over a minute. David Koppelmann (FR, Owensville HS, MO) ran in 29:55, topping his previous high of 30:41. A field of 282 runners. from 45 different colleges and universities participated.
The duo of Jane McKibben (FR, Lindbergh HS, STL) and Jessica Parkman (FR, Peru HS, IN) continued to build on their standout freshmen seasons. McKibben ran in 25:15, beating her previous high by 1:12 in a 6,000 meter race. Parkman finished right behind at 25:18, beating her previous high by 1:04. A field of 272 runners ran in the race.
The Midwest Regional had a particularly stout field, with the first, second, and fifth-ranked men's teams nationally in the NCAA III. On the women's side, four of the top fifteen nationally ranked teams in the NCAA III participated.
Webster head coach, Dusty Lopez, noted, "Our runners were a little nervous because they are all freshmen, but they adjusted well. When every (Webster) runner in the race sets a personal best somewhere between 30 and 90 seconds, it's a good day."
"It was a very good sign to see such young runners step up in an unfamiliar situation. They're mentally tough and very competitive, and they work hard. Having that type of athlete makes me feel great about the direction of the program."
In comparison to other St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference runners in the field, McKibben finished seventh, in comparison to finishing 10th in the SLIAC championships on October 31. Parkman finished eighth, compared to 12th, Harris finished 13th, compared to 17th, and Koeppelmann finished 17th, compared to 21st in the SLIAC.