Results
The Prairie Fire cross country teams got their seasons started a week later than planned and ran well against quality competition, including a pair of NCAA Division I schools.
Junior Sean Choate (Chicago, IL, Chicago Academy High) paced the men's team, crossing the finish line in 28:23.98 for 20th place out of nearly 60 runners in the 8K race. Sophomore Gabe Moreno (Galesburg, IL, Galesburg High School) was next for Knox, finishing 27th overall in 28:49.04.
Also securing a top 40 finish for the Prairie Fire, which placed 6th overall in the team standings, was sophomore Tyler Buddell (Lake Bluff, IL, Lake Forest High School). His time of 30:37.20 was good for 39th individually.
St. Louis University had the top two finishers in the race to claim first place. The winning time was 26:44.09. A runner from Illinois State University placed third (27:03.05) to help the Redbirds finish second overall.
Senior
Emma Swanson (West Des Moines, IA, Valley) led the Prairie Fire women with her time of 22:08.54, placing her 69th, in the 5K race. Sophomore
Yael Cody (Highland Park, IL, Highland Park High School) was next for Knox. She finished the race in 24:00.69.
The next three finishers for the Prairie Fire were senior Brenna DeGan (Naperville, IL, Naperville North) with a time of 24:36.91, senior Laura Mills (Brookville, MD, Sherwood) in 24:44.63, and Kendall Sax-Stevens (LaGrange, IL, Lyons) in 24:46.57.
The Prairie Fire women's team placed eighth out of nine teams, edging out Robert Morris College by 18 points. Northwestern University placed first overall and St. Louis University was the runner-up.
The Knox cross country teams were scheduled to begin the season September 2 at the Earlybird Invitational hosted by Western Illinois University. The meet was cancelled because of hot weather.
Coming up next is a trip to Bloomington, Illinois on September 16 as the Prairie Fire takes part in the Illinois Intercollegiate Championships at Illinois State University. The events begin at 5:00 p.m.
For up to date information, follow Prairie Fire athletics on Twitter @KnoxPrairieFire
