Cross country loses to Miami, Ball State at Redhawk Rumble

Ian Kreider

Maddie Dunlap continues to lead the way for the Kent State cross country team. 

The freshman’s stellar season continued Saturday, as she recorded her second straight third place finish in her first ever 6k. She finished with a time of 22:28 (6:01 per mile). The 2017 high school Division 2 1600-meter state champion has continued her dominance through her first two college races.

She was able to break up a Miami (OH) sweep, but she was in no-man’s-land, 28 seconds behind second place and 8 seconds in front of fourth place. However, she was still able to push herself to a solid time in her first ever 6k.

Junior Morgan Arena was the next Flash to finish; she took 18th with a time of 23:57. Freshman Nicole Fleming (23:58) and Junior Harrison Davis (24:02) followed in 19th and 20th respectively.

Senior Robin Foster (24:22) rounded out the top five with a 25th place finish. The women’s team fell to both Miami, OH (20-59) and Ball State (57-59). 

Clark Bookman led the way for the men’s cross country team with his fifth-place finish.

The sophomore finished with a time of 25:55 (5:12 per mile) in his fastest recorded 8k. Sophomore Sam Goodman came in 11th (26:24), and freshman Sam Michael took 16th (27:10).

He was followed closely by sophomore Josh Gogan in 18th (27:17) and junior Brandon Avers took 20th (27:27). The Flashes fell to Miami (OH) by a score of 18-45. The team has a very young nucleus with ten of its twelve runners being underclassmen, including six freshmen.

The Flashes continue their season on Sept. 29 at 2 p.m. in Cedarville, OH where they will compete in the All-Ohio Championship.

Ian Kreider is a sports reporter. Contact him at [email protected]