Queen City After Dark Recap

Results: Women | Men
 
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The Pioneers traveled to the heart of Bass Pro country to take on NCAA Division I and II, NAIA, and Junior College teams in the Queen City After Dark meet that started at 9:15p.m. for the women's college division with the men to follow at 9:45p.m. On a warm, humid night, the Pioneers laced up their spikes to run 3 loops around well-lit soccer fields on a flat, fast course. The competition was tough, the course was flat, but the weather was not ideal for what, otherwise, might be considered record breaking conditions.
 
Lining up at the starting area first, the Pioneer women seem poised and ready to take on the tough competition.
 
By the second kilometer mark of the 5k race, Bella Meili and Anna McKnight were working consistently together in the top 25% as the tightly packed competition was a constant stream. Riley Filmore was only eighteen places back to be in the top 38%. Julia Swearengin was only twelve seconds from Filmore, but with the tight pack, twenty-two athletes separated them. Kalana Smittick rounded out the top five Pioneers another twenty-one places back from Swearengin. Behind Smittick, harriers continued to flow by at a rate of roughly one per second. Forty seconds back, Kennedy Krotzinger, making her racing debut after being hampered by an injury, was paired with teammate Josephine McClung. They both seemed very smooth and ready to make their move through the stream of harriers.
 
By the 4k mark with only one kilometer to go, Drury's top runner, Cera Eckenroth, had a clear lead with the next set battling for the runner-up spot. Meanwhile, the Pioneer's top runner, Meili, had broken away from McKnight, dropping six opponents as she moved into the top 20%. McKnight, however, had not fallen back, but was hanging steady. Filmore had dropped off a little, but Swearengin had climbed a few spots. Smittick had slid back, too, but McClung was moving up, quickly, grabbing sixteen spots in the last 2 kilometers. Krotzinger had lost contact with McClung but still had moved up five places. The Pioneer women were setting up to give that final sprint to the line.
 
In the last kilometer, the Pioneers reached down deep to drop their team score by five points from the 4k score. Meili led all Pioneers with a top thirty showing as McKnight grabbed two more opponents to finish five places behind Meili at 34th. Filmore also passed two athletes, landing in the 60^th position. Swearengin was a baker's dozen back at 73^rd while Smittick closed out the team scoring four spots under 100 at 96^th, passing three in the last kilometer. Keeping tradition going, McClung passed another six opponents while Krotzinger dropped two before the finish line, taking 110^th and 124^th, respectively.
 
It was a tough race for the Pioneer women, but they responded well as Meili, McKnight, Filmore, Swearengin, McClung, and Krotzinger all recorded personal collegiate bests in the 5k. Also, the team landed a top ten finish overall.
 
Missing a top runner for the Pioneers, the men lined up at the starting line knowing they needed to step up to the challenge and push each other toward the goal of running to glorify God.
 
It was a stampede at the first kilometer with Crowder Community College of Neosho, Missouri, getting out quickly. The Pioneer men started appearing around the top 100 mark with Aidan Scherman leading the charge at 96th. Only two seconds back, Gavin Williams was separated by fifteen athletes from teammate Scherman. Ray Kosgei and Ken Morgan were only three seconds from Williams, but another fifteen athletes back. It was thick with harriers. Josiah Robinson followed Morgan by ten seconds but thirty-two athletes. Robinson represented the fifth Pioneer, the final team scorer. Jackson Elsey was the next Pioneer as he trailed Robinson by six places. Bryson Delong followed Elsey another four spots as Colin Baker equaled the split with four from Delong.
 
By the 5k mark, the Pioneers had done an incredible job moving through the stampede of harriers. Scherman continued to be the lead Pioneer, shedding thirty-two opponents as he drove past the mark in 65^th place. Williams dropped another twelve places to sit at an even 100. Kosgei took down another eight with Morgan knocking off five. Robinson overcame a dozen harriers as the team dropped the score by 69 points in total. Elsey, though not part of the team scoring at this point, still passed three opponents. Delong lost a couple spots as he found his pace after a quick start. Baker had moved up one spot and was in cruise mode as he readied for the final kilometer kick.
 
Though the field of harriers had spread out by the final kilometer, there were still many groups that could change placement quickly. Scherman took advantage of his group and pushed past an additional twelve opponents before the finish line, ending up in 53rd place. Williams held his position in the final stretch with Kosgei dropping two more competitors. Morgan slipped back eight, but Robinson held tight to the end. Elsey, DeLong, and Baker, like Robinson, held position through the last kilometer. For the final stretch, the Pioneers were able to drop their team score by five points to finish twelfth overall.
 
For the Pioneer men, seven recorded a 6k personal best. Those Pioneers were: Scherman, Williams, Morgan, Robinson, Elsey, DeLong, and Baker.
 
Overall, the Pioneers had a strong outing with 13 collegiate bests; six from the women and seven from the men.