Lady Cougars Open Season at IWU Twilight Meet

MARION, Ind. – The (RV) Mount Vernon Nazarene University women's cross-country team opened its season by competing in the IWU Twilight Meet, hosted by Indiana Wesleyan University on Friday, September 5. 

As a team, the Lady Cougars placed 7th out of 13 teams, earning a total of 207 points. Taylor led the way with a first-place finish in the meet. 

MVNU Results 

26th – Tammy Liplin – 23:40 

27th – Louisa Hallabrin – 23:42 

35th – Ashley Yoder – 23:56.70 

69th – Raelyn Barrett – 24:44.40 

79th – Julia Kanagy – 24:59.30 

85th – Ella Wigal – 25:07.90 

88th – Lauren Warder – 25:13.20  

93rd – Caitlyn Shipley – 25:18 

97th – Allison Bonito – 25:20.90 

104th – Janelle Gehman – 25:31.60 

158th – Gracie Finke – 27:00.30 

172nd – Lauren Garber – 27:56.80 

181st – Paige Upton – 29:00.90 

Coach Taylor's Thoughts 

"Tonight kicked off the 20th season for MVNU cross country since its rebirth in the early 2000s. I was really happy to see where our women finished in the race. They beat a couple other teams who were also receiving votes, which will help us in the national polls. One of our goals was to race together as a pack and I thought we did a great job executing the plan and working together. We're in a great spot and I'm excited to see how we progress throughout the season." 

What's Next 

The Lady Cougars will be competing in the All-Ohio Meet, hosted by Cedarville University on Friday, September 19. The race will begin at 6:00 p.m. 

Mount Vernon Nazarene University is a private, four-year, intentionally Christian teaching university for traditional age students, graduate students, and working adults. With a 327-acre main campus in Mount Vernon, Ohio, MVNU emphasizes academic excellence, spiritual growth, and service to community and church. MVNU offers an affordable education both in-seat and online to nearly 2,100 students from 33 states and 26 foreign countries.