McPike and Baxter run well at UHSP Fall Classic
The University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy hosted their annual fall Cross Country meet Saturday morning at Willmore Park. Both the men's and women's divisions each featured nine schools vying for the team competition. The women's division featured 66 overall runners with the men offering 74.
For the Eutectics, Alyssa McPike turned in the best time in the Women's 5K, running a 21:40.0 claiming the final spot in the Top-20 overall. For McPike, she missed out on her personal best by 1:11.6. Abby Baxter finished 33rd with a time of 23:11.4. It was the fourth best time in the 5K for Baxter in her collegiate career. Sophie Eastham ended just outside the Top-50 as a time of 27:30.8 landed her 51st overall. Ajia Vigil and Charlotte Dunajcik finished almost five minutes apart with times of 29:20.7 and 34:22.1 respectively to finish 58th and 65th. Dunajcik ran her best time of the season topping the time she posted at the Brian T. Simpson Invitational just three weeks earlier by 1:41.1.
UHSP's women placed 7th as a team with 176 overall points, just 11 points behind Culver-Stockton for a sixth-place finish. The Eutectics out-distanced Williams Baptist by 16 points and Webster by 26 points. It was a two-horse race for first place as both College of the Ozarks and Blue Mountain ran away from the field. College of the Ozarks had three finishers in the Top-5 and won the meet with 26 points, four points better than second-place Blue Mountain. The Toppers had all five of their placement runners finish in the Top-10. St. Mary of the Woods placed third, 80 points behind Blue Mountain. College of the Ozarks' Emily Staal won the individual title with a time of 18:31.6.
On the men's side, the Eutectics only had two runners in the field. Zach Brasel finished 56th at 33:30.4 and Enze Hao placed 72nd at 42:23.6. Jedidiah Osgood of Ozark Christian College edged William Porte of Blue Mountain by 00:12 to finish first individually. Blue Mountain would claim the men's team title by four points over second-place Central Methodist, 53 to 57. College of the Ozarks's 91 points gave them third place.
The AMC Championships are next for the Eutectics on Nov. 4.