Friday Features: Union Off and Running
By Maurice Patton
Gary Johnson hopes his
Union University women’s cross country team is setting a standard for the Jackson, Tenn., school’s Gulf South Conference tenure.
After claiming the first GSC championship of the school year and the first in school history, the Lady Bulldogs are set to compete for an NCAA Division II national title next weekend in Louisville, Ky.
“We got the first shot, being a fall sport,” said Johnson, whose team – featuring five freshmen -- placed third at the DII South Region Championships last weekend in Huntsville, Ala. “We embrace the idea that it’s a little bit of history at the school to be the first. We hope it’s a momentum builder for the athletic department.
“Individually, this is part of a larger goal. Our focus is to do the best we can with our gifts and honor God with that. If we can do that and win, it’s even better. It allows Union to have a voice in the conference and say some of these aren’t just going to be good kids, but they’re going to be good athletes as well.”
Union’s regional performance was just another show of the team’s balance. The Lady Bulldogs finished with 82 points – behind Sunshine Conference foes Tampa (63) and Saint Leo’s (72) – despite placing no individuals in the Top 10. However, all five of the team’s scorers finished 20
th or better.
At the GSC meet, Union had one runner in the Top 10, seventh-place finisher Audrey Hazlehurst, but four others placed 18
th or better.
“We had been in the transitional membership phase for the last two years, so they had let us run (in the conference meet), but we didn’t score,” Johnson said. “We would have been second the last couple of years, so we weren’t shocked. We had an idea of what we were up against, and we thought we had a chance. It wasn’t guaranteed, but we were in the conversation.
“(At the regional) those teams from the Sunshine improved a bit, too. That was probably more of a surprise. The conference wasn’t as much, but the regional, maybe a bit more.”
Freshmen Janey and Abby Berends – two of a set of triplets – placed 13
th and 15
th at the region meet, with Hazlehurst finishing 17
th, BethAnne Davis 18 and Lindsey Jakeman 19
th. Hazlehurst is the team’s only senior, while Davis is a junior and Jakeman a sophomore. Sarah Fickley, a freshman, finished 37
th, with freshman Amy McKelvey placing 41
st.
“We knew our weakness was that we didn’t have a frontrunner,” Johnson said. “A couple of those teams put a couple of girls ahead of our No. 1. But that’s the strength of our team. We have six or seven interchangeable parts, and any of those six girls on any given day can be the best of the six.”
Having two sets of sisters on the team adds a “very special dynamic” to the team, Johnson said. The Berends are joined by older sibling, Julia, while Amy McKelvey is joined by sister Anna. Both are juniors.
“They’re all amazing Christian ladies,” he said. “Setting the type example they do on our campus – you couldn’t ask for any better. And the fact they can run fast is even better.”
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Past Friday Features
11/07/2014 - NCAA Leader Chloe Richards Finds a Home at UNA.
11/14/2014 - Revival of a Rivalry.
11/21/2014 - VSU's Margaret Stauffer Finds Strength in Team, Family.