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Three Cross Country Bluejays Earn Spot for Nationals

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LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (TaborBluejays.com) – The Bluejays competed in the KCAC Championships this weekend, hosted by the University of Saint Mary. Both teams clinched fourth place. Headlining Tabor were the three individuals who qualified for Nationals, Junior Adrienne Selzer and Senior Matthew Veloz and Logan Dybowski.

On the women’s side, Adrienne Selzer led the way for the Bluejays, finishing 14th with a time of 23:59.08. Close behind her was a strong pack from Tabor, including Lauren AdenSonya Zimmerman, and Julianna Maxfield. Freshman Lauryn Turner clocked in at 26:09.98, securing 43rd place. The next three Bluejays finished in quick succession: Sydnee Gardner took 57th, followed by Aidyn White in 58th, and Daysha Allison in 59th. Senior Sarah Dark rounded out the group with a time of 28:14.64, earning 64th place. The final two Bluejays to cross the line were Rory Hawk and Allison Johnson, with Andrea Serrano completing the race for the team.

For the Bluejays’ men, senior teammates Matthew Veloz and Logan Dybowski led the Bluejays, with Veloz finishing 24th in 26:34.60 and Dybowski close behind in 27th at 26:41.82. Just behind them were Nick Green and Justin Moorwood, who posted times of 26:58.60 and 27:09.50, respectively. Freshman Wade Ratzlaff finished in 64th place with a time of 28:31.34. Javin Schmidt also ran a strong race, securing 88th place. The standout performance of the day came from Brandon Geyer, who set a new personal record, improving by over three minutes with a time of 32:22.6—a remarkable 3:06 drop from his previous best.

Coach Jonathan Wood had this to say about the season, “I’m extremely proud of our season as a whole. Our men and women’s teams had a lot to deal with this year between injuries, change, and sickness. They all persevered and grew closer as a team. All their hard work paid off this weekend at our championship race in Leavenworth, Kansas. It was a muddy course with stiff competition, with the men’s and women’s teams both placing 4th in one of the most stacked NAIA conferences in the country. Given the circumstances, they all ran a smart race and left it all out on the course, which is all I can ask for as a coach. It was an emotional day with many of them running their last cross country race in their lifetime. There were many tears, hugs, and bittersweet moments after the race with many years of hard work and dedication to the Tabor Cross Country program coming to a close. All in all I couldn’t be more proud of my team and the character they showed throughout the season.”

The three national qualifiers will get back to work as they prepare for NAIA Nationals on November 22nd, at a familiar course they have ran on this year already in Columbia Mo.

Be sure to stay up to date with all information regarding Bluejay Athletics by following us on X at @gotaborbluejays, on Instagram and Facebook @taborbluejays, and on our official athletic website, taborbluejays.com.

Tabor College is a Christ-centered institution located in Hillsboro, Kansas. The Bluejays are members of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and compete in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC).

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