After two full weeks of training and three days of intense mini camp, Christendom College athletes on the cross country team competed in their first official race as a collegiate sport. Runners toughed out the hot, humid weather, training hard. The team focused these first few weeks to build up endurance which is crucial when it comes to long distance competitive running. All the training paid off on Thursday afternoon Christendom's Crusaders competed in their first cross country meet in Bridgewater, VA.  

The men and women of the Crusaders were enthusiastic and excited to see how their hard work had helped them compete in their first meet. The Lady Crusaders competed against seven other schools and, placed fourth overall as a team.  The ladies enjoyed a competitive, flat and fast 4k course run. Top runner Xochitl Ortega, a senior, placed 8th overall running a 16:50 and was shorty followed by Emily Farabough who placed 15th overall, running 17:47.

The men placed sixth out of six teams, but still ran a hard race. The men's race was a little longer than the women's, adding up to a 5k. Junior Anthony Brooks ran a 19:06 and placed 37 overall. Coach Mike Stanislaw was proud and pleased with his runners, and looks forward to the next race this upcoming Saturday against James Madison University.

Christendom's cross country team will continue to train hard and begin to shift their focus on building up more endurance and even begin workouts that buildup speed and fast twitch muscles.