TOWSON, Md. --- The Moravian College cross country teams had a total of five runners earn 2017 Landmark All-Conference honors this past Saturday at the 2017 Landmark Conference Championships hosted by Juniata College at the Standing Stone Golf Club.
Sophomore Gregory Jaindl earned a spot on the Landmark All-Conference First Team for the men while sophomores Gavin Kemery and Justin Beasley-Turner garnered spots on the Second Team as the trio helped the Greyhounds place third in the meet.
Freshman Grace Gilbert and sophomore Katie Mayer both earned spots on the women's All-Conference Second Team as the Moravian women's team also placed third in the championships.
Jaindl finished third of the 71 runners in the men's race with a time of 27:32.33 on the 8,000-meter course as he earned All-Conference honors for the second time in his career after being on the First Team last fall when Moravian hosted the Championship meet. Kemery was tenth on Saturday in a time of 28:31.36 as he earned All-Conference Second Team honors for the second straight fall while Beasley-Turner was 12th in the meet with a time of 28:40.74 as he garnered All-Conference honors for the first time in his career.
"All three guys did exactly what we discussed," stated Director of Cross Country and Track & Field Jesse Baumann. "It was an extremely challenging course so we talked about staying patient through the first 1/3rd of the race, and then making a move after the two-mile mark. Greg made a break for the win with about 1,000m to go but the two Etown runners just had a good response. I credit him for testing the waters at that point in the race. If he was going to win, he made the right move to try for it. Gavin was steady throughout the race and pretty much maintained the same place he had from the first two miles in. Justin was on the fringe of All Conference the majority of the race but made a really strong move with 600m going up the last hill. By that point in the race everyone was tired, but he had the guts to push there and secure a top 14 spot. All three ran smart, tough, and overall had a great day they should be extremely proud of."
Gilbert paced the women's team with a 12th place finish among the 84 runners in the race with a time of 25:03.82 on the 6,000-meter course. Mayer was one spot back in 13th place in 25:13.45 as she earned All-Conference honors for the second time in her career after being the 2016 Landmark Conference Rookie of the Year and on the All-Conference First Team last fall.
"Going into the race we had high hopes for Katie and a plan we felt could work," commented Baumann. "Unfortunately, her asthma unexpectedly crept up mid-race and she wasn't able to show what she was truly capable of. She's in great shape, has had great recent workouts and races but obviously when you can't breathe effectively you can't race to your full capabilities. To her credit, she battled through and made the most of the circumstances. Grace battled some shin injuries and aside from some work on our Anti-Gravity treadmill, she was unable to run for a week leading into the race. As with Katie, I give her credit for battling through adversity and doing the best she could to earn All-Conference honors on Saturday. Our entire team has been hit with some misfortunes. Not only did Grace and Katie have setbacks, but three of our other top seven were plagued with mono, anemia, and a sprained ankle, two of those didn't start the race. Despite all of this, the team raced to the best of their abilities. They displayed a grit and toughness that will behoove them and our program moving forward."
Moravian is off this week before competing in the 2017 NCAA Division III Mideast Regional being hosted by Dickinson College on Saturday, November 11.
