Justin Kies
Staff Writer
The University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) hosted the 2018 Summit League Cross Country Championships at Miracle Hills Golf Course on Saturday, Oct. 27.
A beautiful, sunny autumn day on the golf course in Omaha equated into a nice day for the Maverick runners as the women began running at 10 a.m. and the men at 11 a.m. After tying for first in the “white” race of the Bradley Pink Classic on Oct. 12, Omaha continued to impress during the championship 6K.
The Mavericks’ head coach, Cliff Cisar, had high praise for his squad following Saturday’s performance.
“You just can’t put into words what today meant to our team,” said Cisar after Omaha finished in sixth place with 153 points in the team standings. “It’s been a long time coming for our group to have the chance to compete at home, and the outcome was a learning experience.”
Cisar mentioned that a lot of pre-race emotion seemed to take away some of the team’s energy during the later stages of the 6K. Still, sophomore Emily Johnson placed ninth overall with a personal best time of 21:44.25. This exceptional performance landed her second-team All-Summit honors and is now Omaha’s first all-league performer since 2014. Johnson’s 6K time was also the third-fastest in school history.
“[She] ran a spectacular race and the result of all her hard work was evident in her top-10 finish,” praised Cisar while maintaining focus on upcoming competition, “We’re going to enjoy the time with family and friends in town today and refresh our minds and bodies as we prepare for the last two weeks of the season.”
Freshman Heidi Hall placed 36th overall in the race with a personal best time, junior Anita Jenkins placed 41st, senior Lauren Houston was 44th and junior Ivanna Uribe placed 46th. Also competing for the Mavs on Saturday were seniors Annie Catania and Daylee Olson.
UNO looks to continue building off their recent performances in the upcoming NCAA Midwest Regional Championships on Friday, Nov. 9, at 10:45 a.m. in Peoria, Illinois, where Johnson and company have already found success earlier this year.
