Lancer Men Set Team Time Record in Season Opener
September 11, 2021 at 3:55 a.m.
Lancer Men Set Team Time Record in Season Opener
By Grace College Sports Information-
The top group of runners all set personal bests for Grace, resulting in a school-record team time of 2:10:17. (Total times of the top five finishers.) Junior Bryan Hernandez-Rios led the way, finishing the 8k course in 25:14, good for ninth place.
Fellow juniors Dimitri Margaritidis and Logan Rufenacht also broke the 26-minute mark, posting times of 25:52 and 25:56, respectively. Another junior, Isaac Beatty, ran 26:26, followed by freshmen Justin Van Prooyen (26:47) and Brandon Kleber (26:56). Sophomore Hayden Mullett completed the top seven, finishing in 27:30.
"I was really proud of how they positioned and worked from strategic spots early on," said Coach Jacob Poyner. "To run that team time compared to what we ran last year shows a lot of growth and improvement. This was an affirming day for the men of Grace."
The Lancers ended with 128 points, just behind No. 23 Aquinas with 119. Indiana Wesleyan, Taylor and Huntington took the top three spots.
Grace returns to action next Friday, Sept. 17 when the squad competes at the Ray Bullock Invitational hosted by Taylor University.
Lady Lancers Open Season Against Stellar Competition
MARION – The Grace College women's cross country team faced five nationally-ranked squads in their season-opening competition at the IWU Wildcat Twilight Invitational. Grace managed an eighth-place finish in the 16-team field.
Senior Heather Plastow paced the squad, finishing ninth individually with a 5k time of 18:48. Mallory Hiatt ran 19:27, while newcomer Kylie Sauder posted a time of 19:55 to open her career.
The fourth runner for the Lancers was Anna Hulstedt, who finished in 20:13. She was closely followed by freshman Katie Acker in 20:18. Caroline Kolb (20:45) and Kate Hornocker (20:59), both freshmen, rounded out the top seven finishers for Grace.
"Today was all about learning and giving ourselves a starting point for the season," said Coach Jacob Poyner. "Despite battling with some injury and illness and not having a few from our top seven, the ladies still improved off of what they ran at this course last year."
The Lancers finished with 201 points, which actually tied Marian for seventh place, but the finish of each team's sixth runner broke the tie in favor of Marian. Grace totaled a team time of 1:38.42, nearly a two-minute improvement from the same meet a year ago.
"The ladies are fired up for what's next and we've got a lot more in the tank," said Poyner.
Next up for the Lancers will be the Ray Bullock Invitational hosted by Taylor University Sept. 17.
Grace VB?Completes Comeback Over The Cougars
FORT WAYNE – Grace College’s volleyball team picked up an impressive road win on Friday, rallying to beat St. Francis 3-1 in Fort Wayne.
The Lady Lancers fell behind early, dropping the first set in competitive fashion. But Grace stormed back to win the next three sets to take the match.
Grace forced USF into three attacking errors early in set one that allowed them to grab a quick 4-1 lead. After Grace grabbed the initial advantage, the teams played nearly even.
The Lady Lancers led the Cougars (2-12, 0-3 CL) by a narrow margin until the midway point of the set. A small burst from USF allowed them the edge in front of Grace 15-13.
USF carried the momentum into an opening set victory. Grace staved off two set points but eventually fell 25-22 in set one.
In the second set, things began to look dire for Grace. After matching the Cougars point for point at the beginning stages, USF took control and jumped ahead 18-12.
Following a well-placed Grace timeout, the Lady Lancers went on a 9-1 run. Anna Frey put an exclamation mark on the run with a ferocious attack that USF could not handle, giving Grace a 21-19 lead.
The Cougars reclaimed the lead and even had a set point, but Grace battled back to grab a 26-25 lead. On the next rally, Grace’s Emily Peterson feigned a set but instead directed the ball over the net, shocking the Cougars and earning the set point for Grace at 27-25.
The score was level at 19-19 in set three, but the Lady Lancers closed the set on a 6-1 run. Jenna Mueller started the run with a well-aimed attack, and Alisha Leffring and Jadyn Ross teamed up for a block to secure Grace’s second set on the night with a 25-20 win.
Grace captured the first two points of the fourth set and never looked back. The Cougars stayed close, but the Lady Lancers never relinquished the lead.
Grace used a 4-1 run to earn some breathing room and eventually won 25-21. Mueller scored the last two points for Grace.
Grace returns to action on Saturday at 3 p.m. with a match at No. 16 Indiana Wesleyan.
The top group of runners all set personal bests for Grace, resulting in a school-record team time of 2:10:17. (Total times of the top five finishers.) Junior Bryan Hernandez-Rios led the way, finishing the 8k course in 25:14, good for ninth place.
Fellow juniors Dimitri Margaritidis and Logan Rufenacht also broke the 26-minute mark, posting times of 25:52 and 25:56, respectively. Another junior, Isaac Beatty, ran 26:26, followed by freshmen Justin Van Prooyen (26:47) and Brandon Kleber (26:56). Sophomore Hayden Mullett completed the top seven, finishing in 27:30.
"I was really proud of how they positioned and worked from strategic spots early on," said Coach Jacob Poyner. "To run that team time compared to what we ran last year shows a lot of growth and improvement. This was an affirming day for the men of Grace."
The Lancers ended with 128 points, just behind No. 23 Aquinas with 119. Indiana Wesleyan, Taylor and Huntington took the top three spots.
Grace returns to action next Friday, Sept. 17 when the squad competes at the Ray Bullock Invitational hosted by Taylor University.
Lady Lancers Open Season Against Stellar Competition
MARION – The Grace College women's cross country team faced five nationally-ranked squads in their season-opening competition at the IWU Wildcat Twilight Invitational. Grace managed an eighth-place finish in the 16-team field.
Senior Heather Plastow paced the squad, finishing ninth individually with a 5k time of 18:48. Mallory Hiatt ran 19:27, while newcomer Kylie Sauder posted a time of 19:55 to open her career.
The fourth runner for the Lancers was Anna Hulstedt, who finished in 20:13. She was closely followed by freshman Katie Acker in 20:18. Caroline Kolb (20:45) and Kate Hornocker (20:59), both freshmen, rounded out the top seven finishers for Grace.
"Today was all about learning and giving ourselves a starting point for the season," said Coach Jacob Poyner. "Despite battling with some injury and illness and not having a few from our top seven, the ladies still improved off of what they ran at this course last year."
The Lancers finished with 201 points, which actually tied Marian for seventh place, but the finish of each team's sixth runner broke the tie in favor of Marian. Grace totaled a team time of 1:38.42, nearly a two-minute improvement from the same meet a year ago.
"The ladies are fired up for what's next and we've got a lot more in the tank," said Poyner.
Next up for the Lancers will be the Ray Bullock Invitational hosted by Taylor University Sept. 17.
Grace VB?Completes Comeback Over The Cougars
FORT WAYNE – Grace College’s volleyball team picked up an impressive road win on Friday, rallying to beat St. Francis 3-1 in Fort Wayne.
The Lady Lancers fell behind early, dropping the first set in competitive fashion. But Grace stormed back to win the next three sets to take the match.
Grace forced USF into three attacking errors early in set one that allowed them to grab a quick 4-1 lead. After Grace grabbed the initial advantage, the teams played nearly even.
The Lady Lancers led the Cougars (2-12, 0-3 CL) by a narrow margin until the midway point of the set. A small burst from USF allowed them the edge in front of Grace 15-13.
USF carried the momentum into an opening set victory. Grace staved off two set points but eventually fell 25-22 in set one.
In the second set, things began to look dire for Grace. After matching the Cougars point for point at the beginning stages, USF took control and jumped ahead 18-12.
Following a well-placed Grace timeout, the Lady Lancers went on a 9-1 run. Anna Frey put an exclamation mark on the run with a ferocious attack that USF could not handle, giving Grace a 21-19 lead.
The Cougars reclaimed the lead and even had a set point, but Grace battled back to grab a 26-25 lead. On the next rally, Grace’s Emily Peterson feigned a set but instead directed the ball over the net, shocking the Cougars and earning the set point for Grace at 27-25.
The score was level at 19-19 in set three, but the Lady Lancers closed the set on a 6-1 run. Jenna Mueller started the run with a well-aimed attack, and Alisha Leffring and Jadyn Ross teamed up for a block to secure Grace’s second set on the night with a 25-20 win.
Grace captured the first two points of the fourth set and never looked back. The Cougars stayed close, but the Lady Lancers never relinquished the lead.
Grace used a 4-1 run to earn some breathing room and eventually won 25-21. Mueller scored the last two points for Grace.
Grace returns to action on Saturday at 3 p.m. with a match at No. 16 Indiana Wesleyan.
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