Springfield, Mo. – The Southwest Baptist University women's cross-country team delivered an incredible performance Saturday morning at the Great Lakes Valley Conference Championships, finishing second overall with 63 points, just 10 points behind five-time reigning conference champion Lewis University. The Bearcats' impressive showing was highlighted by a school-record performance from junior Natalie Gerdes and numerous personal records across the team.
Gerdes led the charge for SBU, finishing second overall in the women's 6K race with a time of 20:25.01, breaking a seven-year-old school record. Her historic performance earned her a spot among the conference's top finishers and helped lead the Bearcats to one of their strongest GLVC Championship performances.
Senior Kiersten Potter joined Gerdes on the podium, finishing third overall with a time of 20:48.20. Sophomore Gracie Troester continued the Bearcats' strong showing, placing eighth overall in 21:10.07, giving SBU three runners inside the top eight. All three of those runners also earned All-GLVC honors.
Senior Lily Hunsucker followed with a 23rd-place finish in 21:48.93, while junior Kadence Wallace rounded out the scoring five in 27th with a time of 22:09.85. Freshmen Lina Schitz and Audrey Richter also contributed strong performances, finishing 30th and 33rd with times of 22:21.63 and 22:31.00, respectively.
The Bearcats saw numerous runners establish new personal records throughout the morning, showcasing the team's continued improvement and determination heading into the postseason.
SBU finished with 63 team points, just nine behind Lewis University's 53, while comfortably distancing itself from third-place Truman State, which finished with 106 points. The Bearcats placed three runners inside the top eight and all five scoring runners inside the top 27.
The runner-up finish, record-breaking performance from Gerdes, and numerous personal bests helps give the Bearcats momentum heading into the Regional Championships. This will take place in two weeks time on November 21st at Kenosha, Wisconsin.
