Storm cross country teams win season-opener at Pickard Park

INDIANOLA, Iowa - The Simpson cross country teams started the 2016 season by sweeping their own Bill Buxton Invitational at Pickard Park. Sadie Timms won the women's 4k race while Trey Thompson won the men's 6k, in which the Storm owned the top five finishers.

Women's recap
Simpson finished with 22 points as a team, comfortably ahead of Grand View's 37. Iowa Lakes CC also competed in the meet, but didn't have enough runners to register a varsity score.

Timms took an early lead and never looked back, completing the hilly, 4k-course in 15:35, 24 seconds ahead of the chase pack.

Timms' classmate, Courtney Neuendorf, and senior Briana McCloskey finished third and fourth, respectively. Neuendorf navigated the course in 16:17 while McCloskey crossed in 16:31.

Jessica Gronke (6th, 17:28) and Erin Boggess (8th, 17:40) rounded out Simpson's varsity scorers.

Men's Recap
The Storm swept the top-five places en-route to a 15-point performance. A pair of unattached runners were the only other participants figuring into the top five, as Grand View finished with 48 points and Iowa Lakes CC had 79.

Just a sophomore, Thompson won the first race of his collegiate career by passing Simpson alum Jake Sutton to break the tape in 19:31. Sutton came in second in 19:42, just ahead of Blake Willadsen (19:45).

Freshman Luke Evans was the Storm's third finisher, taking fifth overall after running 20:12 on the 6k loop. Ethan Pellegrino (6th, 20:16) and Ian McKenzie (20:22) rounded out the Storm's varsity finishers.