Top-Tier Trojans Topple Elite Field at Ray Bullock Invite
UPLAND, Ind. – No. 1 Taylor continued its dominance this season, scoring 24 en route to a team title at the Ray Bullock Invitational on Friday evening against a field with three other top 12 squads in the NAIA.
The Trojans scored 43 points fewer than second-place No. 5 Indiana Wesleyan as five TU runners finished in the top eight. The team continued to improve their time posting a time of 1:49:44.6, the fastest of the season and fourth-fastest in program history.
Jaynie Halterman finished first, over a minute quicker than second with a time of 20:38.0. Sam Patterson and Noel Bass finished side by side in third and fourth as Bass turned in her best race of the season by over a minute at 22:03.0.
A slew of trojans set personal bests in the home meet beginning with Catey Campbell at 22:24.7 and closely followed by Emersyn Funk and Rebekah Firestone at 22:36.0 and 22:40.3 respectively. The trio placed sixth, tenth and eleventh while besting their previous PR's by over nine seconds each.
Kennedy Applegate crossed the line a second ahead of her personal best, while freshmen Marlina Howell, Kate Bowen, and Elizabeth Erwin improved by four or more seconds and all finished in the top 41 of almost 100 runners.
Taylor (54-6) finishes its regular season at the NAIA Great Lakes Challenge in Grand Rapids, Michigan on October 25th at 11:00 am.
