MIAMI, Fla. (September 1, 2021) – The 2021 women’s cross country season began last Saturday, September 28, with the St. Thomas Cross Country Invitational.
Below are this year’s Sun Conference Women’s Cross Country Runners to Watch.
Ave Maria
Mary Goetz
Senior – Desoto, Kansas
5-8
The reigning Sun Conference Women’s Cross Country Runner of the Week is a three-time First-Team All-Sun Conference selection. The native of Desoto, Kansas, was Ave Maria's top runner at St. Thomas, helping the Gyrenes to a second-place finish, tops among NAIA schools. Goetz was the only NAIA runner in the field to finish the course in under 21 minutes.
Keiser
Teresa Gaspar-Herrera
Senior – Ocala, Florida
5-3
Entering her senior campaign, Teresa Gaspar-Herrera is set to anchor the Keiser women’s cross country team. The senior competed in four races last fall and had a season-best performance at the Ave Maria Invitational with a time of 21:00.90 and a 14th place finish.
SCAD Savannah
Talia Sullivan
Sophomore – Devon, England
5-6
A member of the SCAD women’s track team, Sullivan enters her first year with the Bee’s cross country squad (freshman year canceled due to COVID 19 pandemic). She earned all-conference honors (track & field) in the 1,500 and the 4x800 relay.
Southeastern
Julia Rohm
Senior – Riverview, Florida
4-11
Rohm, a three-time All-Sun Conference selection, is a two-time NAIA All-American in cross country, becoming the first athlete at Southeastern to accomplish this feat. The defending SUN Champion, Rohm was the USTFCCCA South Region Cross Country Runner of the Year.
St. Thomas
Emily Holzer
Sophomore – Miami, Florida
Holzer helped guide the Bobcats to a fifth-place finish in The Sun Conference Championship Meet last year. The sophomore had two top-10 finishes in the 2020 season, finishing fifth at the STU Bobcat Catholic Schools Invitational and the dual meet versus Florida National University.
Thomas
Jonna Wittwer
Senior – Hamburg, Germany
5-11
As a returner, Wittwer looks to lead the young Night Hawks to a Sun Conference title. The Hamburg, Germany native has the potential to become a top contender on the All-Sun Conference list.
USCB
Jenitiza Trinidad
Senior – Cidra, Puerto Rico
5-3
Trinidad will enter her final year as a Sand Shark in 2021, as she will have spent all four years at USCB. Just a year ago, Trinidad competed in five meets and finished in the top 15 in all five events, including three top-10 placements. At the Sun Conference Cross Country Championships, Trinidad placed 10th with a time of 20:35.8, which set a new personal best in the 3.1M.
Warner
Chelsey Ernest
Sophomore – Pembroke Pines, Florida
5-7
Ernest recorded the Royals top mark in the 5K with a time of 26:18.
Webber International
Aris Short
Freshman – Pensacola, Florida
Short comes to Webber International after graduating from South Walton High School where she posted a PR of 20:54 in the 5K. She registered that mark in the FHSAA 2A Region 1 meet on Nov. 6, 2020.
The 2021 season began last Saturday, August 28, with the St. Thomas Cross Country Invitational. The 2021 SUN Women’s Cross Country Championship will be held on Saturday, November 6, at Holloway Park in Lakeland, Florida.
ABOUT THE SUN CONFERENCE
Now entering its 32nd year, The Sun Conference, a 501c3 organization, continues to be one of the most successful intercollegiate athletic conferences in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Under the guidance of Commissioner Dustin Wilke, the league sponsors championships in 19 NAIA sports: Baseball, Men’s and Women’s Basketball, Beach Volleyball, Men’s and Women’s Cross Country, Flag Football, Men’s and Women’s Golf, Men’s and Women’s Indoor Track and Field, Men’s and Women’s Soccer, Softball, Men’s and Women’s Tennis, Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field and Women’s Volleyball. Learn more @thesunconference.com
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