Men’s XC sets school records in Kansas

By Ahlonte Hair

A handful of CSC men’s cross country runners are now school record holders after running at the Colby Community College Trojan Invite in Colby, Kansas, on Oct. 15.

Charles Fossey, freshman of Rock Springs, Wyoming, led the Eagles with a time of 25:38.2, finishing in 27th place out of 109 runners. Fossey’s time was good enough to earn him the fourth fastest eight-kilometer race in CSC school history. Moreover, Kyle Shirley, junior of Queen Creek, Arizona, and Topi Alahuhta, freshman of Pine, Colorado, placed 35th and 36th respectively, with times good enough to earn them the ninth and 10th fastest eight-kilometer times in CSC school history.

In the women’s competition, four CSC women finished in the top 40 in the six-kilometer race. The Eagles were led by Lexi Rule, freshman of Buffalo, Wyoming, who finished 27th with a time of 19:45.9. Alissa Wieman, sophomore of Box Elder, South Dakota, placed 33rd with a time of 20:14.8. Lydia Peters, freshman of Sidney, placed 35th with a time of 20:20.6, and Josie Diffendaffer, freshman of Berthoud, Colorado, placed 37th with a time of 20:26.5.

Schools from across the country gathered for the competition including the NCAA Division I Air Force Academy of Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Overall, the CSC men’s team took fifth and the CSC women’s team finished sixth out of 11 area schools, a solid performance for both teams whose runners are very young.

The Eagles will continue their season Nov. 5 when they compete for the 2022 RMAC Cross Country Championships in Durango, Colorado.