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SEPT.
2 — Leafs Run Away With Hokum Karem Title Again
Event's
second year produces same results as first; freshmen shine |
Goshen, IN — The phrase Hokum
Karem doesn’t appear in most dictionaries, but judging by
the Goshen College women’s cross country team’s performance
on Saturday, they have a valid definition of their own:
Guaranteed
Championship.
The Leafs ran past all competition at the second annual Goshen
College Hokum Karem on Saturday, giving the program its second
title in as many years at the event. Untraditional by regular-season
cross country standards, runners pair off with teammates and alternate
running one-mile intervals for a total of six miles — or
three for each runner. It’s a system that has worked as a
season opener for Goshen in the last two years, as the Leafs (eight
total points) dusted Mid-Central Conference foes Huntington University
(14 points) and Grace College (23 points).
“We feel this event gives our athletes a taste of competition
in a unique way,” said Doug Yoder, Goshen head coach. “You
can push yourself a little harder knowing that you’ve got
a good recovery time coming up after each mile. It presents a different
strategy for each runner, and in turn makes them think the race.”
The Leafs again had no problems with the format, as the first two
pairs to finish wore purple and white. Yoder mixed things up from
2005, putting his top two runners — seniors Petrana Petkova
and Laura Herr — with freshman Whitney Turner and sophomore
Laura Harnish, respectively. The results were impressive, as Turner
more than held her own with the All-American Petkova (the tandem
finished first in a time of 36:46) while Harnish and Herr weren’t
far behind (second place overall, 37:13.)
Perhaps the most promising figures came from Goshen’s third
pair to finish — and final piece to Saturday’s scoring
mix — as freshmen Rachael Baker and Tina Peters took fifth
overall in a time of 40:00 in their first event as collegiate athletes.
“I was really pleased with how Whitney, Rachael and Tina
performed,” Yoder
said. “We knew what to expect out of Petrana and Laura and
Laura, but the freshmen really did well. They will figure into
our scoring right away (during the regular season). After Saturday,
I’m counting on them to do good things throughout the season.”
Those team prognosticators looked good in all manners of comparison
to the 2005 GC Hokum Karem, as Goshen collected fewer points (14
in ’05) and shaved seconds off its 2005 times at the event.
Harnish and Herr combined for a 39:09 run last fall, while Petkova
teamed with then-senior Rachel Yantzi for a 37:47 clip.
“We will be a deeper team this year and have a chance, as
a result, to be much more competitive as a group,” Yoder
said. “Our
top six runners have the talent and potential to be very, very
fast.”
Goshen will spend a final week training for its first traditional
cross country meet of the fall, as the team will travel to the
Defiance College Invitational on Saturday. Meet time for the women’s
race is set for 10 a.m.
Goshen College Hokum Karem Official Results
September 2, 2006
Women’s Results
3 x 1 mile x 2 persons
1 Goshen College 8
2 Huntington University 14
3 Grace College 23
4 Tri-State University --
Place Name School Team Position Time
1. Petkova/Turner, - GOS (1) 36:46.00
2. Herr/Harnish, - GOS (2) 37:13.00
3. Andrews/Holliday, - HUN (3) 39:13.00
4. Marcias/Roughia, - HUN (4) 39:45.00
5. Baker/Peters, - GOS (5) 40:00.00
6. Hawkins/Misak, - GRA (6) 39:45.00
7. Buck/Bowman, - HUN (7) 41:40.00
8. Stevens/Mast, - GOS (--) 45:23.00
9. Freeman/Neueshwander, - GRA (8) 45:23.00
10. Drew/MacLeod, - GRA (9) 45:24.00
11. Cheek/Wigginton, - GOS (--) 45:55.00
12. Horst/Loberg, - GOS (--) 47:20.00
13. Weyenberg/Bumgardner, - TRI (--) 50:48.00
14. Juarez/Scheffrey, - GRA (--) 51:02.00
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  Freshman
Whitney Turner
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