HARDEEVILLE, S.C. – The No. 8-ranked Southeastern Fire placed all five scoring runners in the top 10 and cruised to a team victory in The Sun Conference 2019 Women’s Cross Country Championship on Saturday at the Hardeeville School Complex course near host school USC-Beaufort.
 
The Fire had runners finish second, fifth, eighth, ninth and 10^th to finish with a team score of 34 and finish 14 points ahead of 2018 champion SCAD-Savannah who had the individual champion in junior Lemi Wutz (17:53.29) and also placed runners third, 13^th, 15^th and 16^th.
 
Following Southeastern and SCAD in the team race were Ave Maria (92), St. Thomas (93), Keiser (159), USC- Beaufort (174), Webber International (193), Warner (218) and Thomas (231).
 
Leading the way over the five-kilometer course for the champion Fire was second-place runner sophomore Julia Rohm (18:06.71). Junior Raeanna Pabon was fifth overall (18:53.85), freshman Madeline Scherer was eighth (18:59.61), sophomore Makenzie Johnson ninth (19:07.56) and junior Kelsi Ogilvie 10^th (19:09.69).
 
In addition to the first-place finisher Wutz, SCAD-Savannah had The Sun Conference Freshman of the Year Julia Gralki finish third (18:14.23).
 
Other top-10 finishers included Ava Maria sophomore Mary Goetz who ran fourth (18:50.95) and St. Thomas seniors Susana Gutierrez (sixth, 18:54.93) and Andrea Peterson (seventh, 18:58.67).
 
Southeastern earns The Sun Conference’s automatic berth into the 36-team NAIA Championships. At-large team berths and all individual qualifiers will be announced after the final regular-season coaches poll is released this week.
 
The Sun’s All-Conference teams and special awards were announced at the conclusion of the race, with the exception of the Runner of the Year which will be determined in a ballot of the league’s coaches following the NAIA Championship meet on Nov. 22 in Vancouver, Wash.
 
The top seven finishers in the Conference Championship are named to the All-Sun first team, with the seventh-through-14^th finishers making up the second team. The Freshman of the Year is the top frosh finisher in the conference meet. The Coach of the Year and the sport’s Champion of Character award winner are chosen in a ballot of the head coaches.
 
The Sun Conference Women’s Cross Country All-Conference:
 
First Team
Lemi Wutz, SCAD-Savannah (Jr.)
Julia Rohm, Southeastern (Soph.)
Julia Gralki, SCAD-Savannah (Fr.)
Mary Goetz, Ave Maria (Soph.)
Raeanna Pabon, Southeastern (Jr.)
Susana Gutierrez, St. Thomas (Sr.)
Andrea Peterson, St. Thomas (Sr.)
 
Second Team
Madeline Scherer, Southeastern (Fr.)
Makenzie Johnson, Southeastern (Soph.)
Kelsi Ogilvie, Southeastern (Jr.)
Emma Woltjer, Southeastern (Fr.)
Macy Peterson, Southeastern (Jr.)
Sarah Foreman, SCAD-Savannah (Soph.)
Kendal Clark, Webber International (Jr.)
 
Freshman of the Year
Julia Gralki, SCAD-Savannah
 
Champion of Character
Kalyn Buteyn, Warner
 
Coach of the Year
Paul Kurtz, Southeastern