BOURBONNAIS, Ill. - Olivet Nazarene University cross country will be represented by the women's team and two men's individuals at the NAIA Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, Fla. on Friday.
The No. 13 ONU women's cross country team won the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference championship and earned an automatic bid to the national championships. Senior Heidi Heldt led the way for the Tigers at conference, winning the race by more than 22 seconds. Also scoring for the Tigers were Isabella Wojciechowski, Hannah Haag, Claire Carter, and Taygen Beyer.
In 2022 and 2023, the Tigers finished in 24th place. Last year, they improved two spots to finish in 22nd place. The Tigers enter the national championships as the No. 13 ranked team in the NAIA Coaches' Poll, so optimism is high for the group to improve upon the standard that had previously been set.
Sophomores Jeremiah Lanum and Charlie Bardwell will represent the men's crosss country team at the national championships after finishing high enough as individuals in the conference race. Lanum crossed the line in second-place, while Bardwell was close behind in sixth-place.
Lanum is in his first year with the program, but Bardwell competed as a member of the ONU men's team at last year's championships so his experience will be valuable.
You can prepare for and follow all of the action on Friday using the links below.
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