November 3, 2007
Fresno, CA - The William Jessup University cross country team entered Saturday’s Region II Championship sharpened and ready to race after having enjoyed a successful 2007 season to date. The Men’s squad was fresh off a 2nd place finish at California Pacific Conference Championship the week prior, while Jessup Women Amanda Gillming and Kim Jennings took 1st and 4th individually at Cal-Pac.
At the end of the day’s racing, the Warrior Men achieved an 11th place finish while the Lady Warriors Gillming and Jennings finished well in a tough Region II field.
“The level of intensity was extremely high today because there were many teams racing that are nationally ranked in the top 20 and contesting for a qualifying spot to the NAIA National Championship,” said Coach Nick Vogt, “I’m pleased with our men’s 11th place finish, and thrilled for Amanda Gillming, who ran a significant lifetime-best on the Regional course today.”
Men’s 8k: With the blast of Starter’s gun, the NAIA Region II Championship at Fresno’s Woodward Park was off and running. In the end, Azusa Pacific’s Aron Rono defended his 2006 title time of 23:51, while Cal State-San Marcos won the team title. William Jessup’s team took 11th, behind Jason Carwile’s 51st place in a lifetime best time of 27:36.
Carwile’s teammates Tom Harrier, Kyle Stair, Darem Morency, and Luke Morency followed Carwile’s lead, also running well over the Woodward Park 8 Kilometer course, placing 67th, 69st, 72nd, and 78th respectively.
Women’s 5k: As the gun sounded, top runners from each of the contending teams bolted toward the front of the pack. Leading the charge from the front was Azusa’s Jacky Kipwanbok, finishing first in 17:26, leading her squad to the team title. The Lady Warriors Amanda Gillming ran an excellent race, placing 30th with a 53-second personal best time of 19:13 on the Woodward Park course. WJU’s Kim Jennings also ran well, placing 56tht in 20:58.
There were many Warrior supporters, WJU Alumni, and family members, who made the trip to Fresno on Saturday to cheer the runners, which was typical of every cross country meet the Jessup team contested throughout the season.
“I would like to take this opportunity to recognize and thank all of those who made this season such a great success, especially for the WJU supporters who not only traveled from across the state to cheer the team, but also helped officiate our home meets… These folks really made this season an especially memorable experience for our runners,” said Coach Vogt.
