Marietta competes at Great Lakes Regional Championships
Pioneer women take 16th and men 26th

Nov. 10, 2007
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The Marietta College cross country program wrapped up its season Saturday (Nov. 10) afternoon with an impressive performance at the 2007 NCAA Division III Great Lake Regional Championships, which were hosted Calvin College. The Pioneer women opened the meet with an 16th place finish, and the men followed by placing 26th. Calvin swept the event, which featured 37 women’s teams and 38 men’s squads.

The Knights’ women, who collected 46 points, were followed by Case Western Reserve with 73 points and DePauw with 80 points. The Lady Pioneers collected 424 points en route to their best finish since 1990.

Sophomore Randi Robertson (Avon Lake) set a new standard for a Marietta female runner at the regional competition. Robertson raced to a 47th place finish, covering the 6K course in 23:20.35. Sophomore Kaity Smith (Essex Junction, Vt.) followed in 52nd place, finishing in 23:34.25, and sophomore Shannon McDonald (Lorain/Amherst Steele) completed the race in 24:03.15 to place 79th. All three ladies ran personal bests and finished better than Marietta’s top finisher in 2006. In addition, the trio ran the three fastest 6K times in program history. Junior Jessi Larrison (Batavia) was the fourth Pioneer to finish. She took 102nd and ran 24:30.65. Sophomore Logan Wern (North Canton/Hoover) followed in 148th place, running a personal-best 25:24.50. Sophomore Brenda Puckett (Preble/Shawness) rounded out the finishers. She ran 27:51.35 and placed 197th.

Calvin’s men, who earned 27 points, were chased by Ohio Northern with 114 points and Anderson (Ind.) with 125 points. The Pioneers totaled 715 points in finishing 26th, which was one spot lower than last year’s placement.

The finish of Marietta’s top runner, senior Harrison Potter (Rochester, N.Y./Gates Chili), reflected how tough the competition was on Saturday. Potter topped his personal best by 17 seconds but placed 30 spots lower than a year ago. He finished the 8K race in 26:57.55 to finish in 107th place. Sophomore Max Kenngott (Akron/St. Vincent-St. Mary) followed in 135th place, running what Head Coach Derek Stanley described as the best performance by a freshman he has ever coached. Kenngott finished in 27:24.00. Sophomore Mike Siringer (Willowick) was the next Pioneer to finish. He ran a personal record 27:34.70 and placed 146th. Senior John Hull (Scott Depot, W.Va./Winfield) followed in 161st, running a season-best time of 27:50.50. Sophomore Cody Thomas (North Olmsted) also ran a personal record, finishing in 27:53.20 to place 166th. Junior Joseph Wynes (East Aurora, N.Y.) and sophomore Corey Blattler (Barnsville) rounded out the Pioneers’ finishers. Wynes ran a personal-record 28:43.10 and finished 190th, while Blattler ran a season-best 28:50.60 and placed 196th.

"Both teams had awesome performances today," Stanley said. "The men and women both ran hard against some of the fiercest competition our region has ever displayed. This was a great way to end our season."