Crusaders Set Seven Personal Records at Gettysburg’s Aubrey Shenk Invitational
Gettysburg, Pa. – The Christendom men's and women's cross country teams turned in their strongest collective performance of the season at the Aubrey Shenk Invitational, hosted by Gettysburg College this past weekend. Facing deep competition from NCAA Division II and III programs, the Crusaders posted seven new personal bests and celebrated the return of two runners from early-season injuries.
The annual Aubrey Shenk Invitational serves as a key mid-October test for the Crusaders, offering a chance to measure progress from the season's training and build momentum heading into championship competition. This year's results did not disappoint.
Men's Race
Senior Alex Girata led the way for Christendom with his best performance of the season, clocking 28:23 for the 8k. Senior Thomas Cahill achieved a major season goal by breaking the 30-minute barrier, crossing the line in 29:42.
Continuing his rapid improvement, freshman Robert Wright once again lowered his personal best—this time by a full minute—to finish in 29:17, marking his third consecutive PR performance.
Making his return to competition after an early-season injury, sophomore Thomas Cole impressed in his first-ever collegiate 8k, running a composed and steady race to finish in 35:25.
Women's Race
The women's team delivered an equally remarkable performance, highlighted by a series of personal bests across the board. Freshmen Lillian Mayville and Grace Kristine ran stride-for-stride throughout the race, executing a disciplined strategy to finish with standout PRs of 27:34 (a two-minute improvement) and 27:43 (a 50-second improvement), respectively.
Sophomore Jadzia Hamm followed close behind with her most impressive race to date, clocking 28:16—a full 90 seconds faster than her performance on the same course last season.
Freshmen Myri Parsons (30:16) and Lily Bettcher (31:27) also shattered their previous bests by over a minute each. Rounding out the lineup, freshman Hannah Masterson made her collegiate 6k debut after overcoming an early injury setback, finishing strong in 32:19.
In total, Christendom tallied seven new personal records and saw two key athletes return to competition, marking this as the most successful meet of the season thus far.
Up Next: With momentum high heading into Fall Break, the Crusaders now turn their focus to the USCAA National Championships on November 8, where they aim to carry forward their late-season surge and cap off a record-breaking campaign.