Simpson women battle to fourth place finish

GENEVA, Ill. - Alongside many other regionally ranked teams, Simpson women's cross country team placed fourth overall at the Aurora Invitational at Northwestern Medicine XC Course, Saturday.

Sophomore Emma Angus was the top finisher for the Storm for the second straight event, finishing the 6K course in a time of 23:59.5, good for an 11th place finish individually.

Lara Kallem continued her junior campaign by placing second on the team with a time of 24:16.4, finishing 17th overall. Sophomore Emily Erhardt smashed her career best by clocking a time of 24:23.7 and finishing in 21st.

Rounding out the scoring for Simpson were a pair of sophomores. Ashley Rockhold came in 29th with a time of 24:43.7, while Teghan Booth checked in at 39th with a time of 25:05.0.

There were five other teams in this week's USTFCCCA Midwest Regional Rankings that competed in the event. While the Storm placed fourth, Central, Chicago, and Wheaton took the top three spots. The Storm did defeat North Central (Ill.) and Illinois Wesleyan, who also appeared in the rankings.

"It was great to get out on the regional course today," said head coach Heath Moenck. "It was fun to see our women compete well with teams ranked around us in the region. Emily Erhardt had a huge breakthrough for us today as well."

Up Next
The women take a week break before heading to Ashland, Neb. for the Platte River Rumble on Oct. 14.

Simpson Lineup
11. Emma Angus - 23:59.5
17. Lara Kallem - 24:16.4
21. Emily Erhardt - 24:23.7
29. Ashley Rockhold - 24:43.7
39. Teghan Booth - 25:05.0
66. Elie Tuhn - 26:17.1
71. Skyler Blessman - 26:27.4
91. Kaya Young - 26:31.1
97. Kate Huisinga - 26:43.3
121. Angel Schewe - 27:31.5
135. Araceli Tapetillo - 28:10.1
178. Emily Escoto - 31:20.1

Team Standings
1. Central College - 52 points
2. U. of Chicago - 69 points
3. Wheaton (Ill.) - 93 points
4. Simpson - 117 points
5. Aurora - 163 points
6. Grinnell - 164 points
7. Illinois Wesleyan - 186 points
8. North Central (Ill.) - 210 points
9. Elmhurst - 227 points
10. Concordia (Wis.) - 299 points
11. Msoe - 326 points
12*. Greenville - 328 points
12*. Nebraska Wesleyan - 328 points
14. North Park - 372 points
15. Lake Forest - 493 points