Bethel College Cross Country

The men’s and women’s cross country teams finished their strong seasons at the 2009 KCAC meet. The teams made significant progress during the course of the season with both new and returning runners contributing to the teams’ successes this year. The season can be summarized by the headline in a local newspaper article: “Unity a Strength for BC Cross Country.”

The women’s team was led by Natasha Esau, of Buhler, who completed a stellar collegiate cross country career by earning all conference honors. Jackie Kamphaus, of Clay Center, finished 18th at the conference meet just missing all conference honors. Both Esau and Kamphaus had terrific seasons leading the team. Emily Gundy, of Halstead, and Mariah Hostetler, of Dodge City, had impressive freshman seasons posting solid times through the year. Pia Goedicke, of Wuppertal, Germany, and Monica Schmidt, of Haven, also ran well, improving their times throughout the season. The women’s team tied for first at one meet this year and finished 5th at the KCAC championship. With a solid group of returners and talented new runners, the 2010 season looks bright.

The men’s team was led by Ben Moore, of Clay Center, and Kevin Leary, of Newton. The men’s team improved their times throughout the year. Zach Metzler, of Newton; Michael Bowman, of Syracuse; Brian Skinner, of Clay Center; Dominic Suter, of Hutchinson; and Kyle Kroeker, of Hutchinson, made major contributions to the team. With all the team members returning and with a quality recruiting class, the men’s team looks to move up to the next level of competition in the 2010 season.