Saturday, October 14
Charlottesville, Va.
9:40 AM ET
Liberty University
at
XC23 Pre-Nationals
Adelyn Fairley
Fairley’s 16th-Place Finish Highlights Liberty’s Day at XC23 Pre-Nationals
10/14/2023 2:40:00 PM | Cross Country
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Liberty's Adelyn Fairley raced to an impressive 16th-place finish in the women's blue race, headlining the Flames' soggy morning at the XC23 Pre-Nationals, Saturday at Panorama Farms. Both the Liberty men's and women's squads placed 20th overall while running short-handed in the regular-season finale.
Racing her first 6K in two years, Fairley clocked the second-fastest time of her career (20:17.7) to place 16th out of 196 finishers in the women's top seeded race. Liberty ended up with 493 points, finishing 20th of 24 women's squads and just two behind Minnesota for 19th. Up front, No. 6 BYU posted a dominating 58-point victory (32-90) over No. 19 Arkansas.
Competing without both of its CUSA Men's Athletes of the Week from this season (Tristian Merchant and Nicholas Kiprotich), the Liberty men's team tallied 437 points for 20th place out of 23. No. 21 Arkansas recorded an upset win with just 35 points, soundly defeating No. 10 Virginia and No. 17 Tennessee in the process.
The day's four races were contested in an increasingly steady rain at Panorama Farms, which will serve as the venue for the 2023 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships for the first time on Nov. 18.
Men's Blue Race Team Results (23 Total Teams):
1) No. 21 Arkansas – 35
2) No. 17 Tennessee – 89
3) No. 10 Virginia – 112
4) Montana State – 137
5) Purdue – 215
20) Liberty – 437
Men's 8K Blue Race Individual Results (184 Total Finishers):
1) Ben Shearer, Arkansas – 22:55.0
2) Yaseen Abdalla, Tennessee – 22:58.6
3) Kirami Yego, Arkansas – 23:04.2
4) Chandler Gibbens, Kansas – 23:09.6
5) Patrick Kiprop, Arkansas – 23:11.5
66) Kyle Harkabus, Liberty – 24:18.7
77) Jack Cottrell, Liberty – 24:23.8
93) Nathan Moore, Liberty – 24:30.4
97) Jacob Hess, Liberty – 24:31.1
123) Graham Mussmon, Liberty – 24:49.7
137) Ethan Pedersen, Liberty – 24:57.1
174) Gavin Sweeney, Liberty – 25:53.4
Women's Blue Race Team Results (24 Total Teams):
1) No. 6 BYU – 32
2) No. 19 Arkansas – 90
3) No. 7 Virginia – 104
4) No. 17 Oregon – 117
5) Tennessee – 135
20) Liberty – 493
Women's 6K Blue Race Individual Results (196 Total Finishers):
1) Carmen Alder, BYU – 19:36.2
2) Maddy Elmore, Oregon – 19:47.0
3) Paityn Noe, Arkansas – 19:49.6
4) Margot Appleton, Virginia – 19:55.6
5) Jenna Hutchins, BYU – 19:58.3
16) Adelyn Fairley, Liberty – 20:17.7
82) Catherine Farrell, Liberty – 21:23.4
131) Marie Hostetler, Liberty – 21:47.0
145) Jessica Palisca, Liberty – 21:59.1
146) Katrina Schlenker, Liberty – 22:01.3
165) Jessie Zealand, Liberty – 22:19.4
Men's 8K Orange Race Individual Results (124 Total Finishers):
1) Baidy Ba, Kent State – 24:06.7
2) Nick Karayianis, Virginia – 24:14.8
3) Jan Wouter Van Den Akker, UMass Lowell – 24:20.1
4) Kevin Conlon, George Washington – 24:21.3
5) Andrew Jones, Virginia – 24:30.0
78) Ethan Stansbury, Liberty – 25:48.8
Women's 6K Orange Race Individual Results (167 Total Finishers):
1) Josphine Wanjiku, Kansas State – 20:37.3
2) Lona Latema, Kansas – 20:46.2
3) Elizabeth Stockman, Richmond – 20:53.2
4) Anastaysia Davis, BYU – 20:56.0
5) Destiny Everett, BYU – 20:58.0
123) Summer Bejarano, Liberty – 23:07.6
129) Anna Jo Ripple, Liberty – 23:13.6
131) Samantha Troup, Liberty – 23:15.0
132) Sophia Park, Liberty – 23:15.1
147) Grace Ervi, Liberty – 23:37.2
157) Emily Atha, Liberty – 23:50.7
163) Allison Engle, Liberty – 24:27.3
165) Rebecca Brown, Liberty – 24:39.9
166) Rebekah Simmons, Liberty – 25:35.0
167) Kristiana Young, Liberty – 27:36.5
Race Reactions
Up Next
Men's and women's cross country will be the first Liberty teams ever to compete for Conference USA titles, Oct. 28 at Hobson Grove Park in Bowling Green, Ky. The 2023 Conference USA Cross Country Championships will begin with the men's 8K at 10 a.m. Eastern and will conclude with the women's 6K at 11 a.m. Eastern.
Racing her first 6K in two years, Fairley clocked the second-fastest time of her career (20:17.7) to place 16th out of 196 finishers in the women's top seeded race. Liberty ended up with 493 points, finishing 20th of 24 women's squads and just two behind Minnesota for 19th. Up front, No. 6 BYU posted a dominating 58-point victory (32-90) over No. 19 Arkansas.
Competing without both of its CUSA Men's Athletes of the Week from this season (Tristian Merchant and Nicholas Kiprotich), the Liberty men's team tallied 437 points for 20th place out of 23. No. 21 Arkansas recorded an upset win with just 35 points, soundly defeating No. 10 Virginia and No. 17 Tennessee in the process.
The day's four races were contested in an increasingly steady rain at Panorama Farms, which will serve as the venue for the 2023 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships for the first time on Nov. 18.
Men's Blue Race Team Results (23 Total Teams):
1) No. 21 Arkansas – 35
2) No. 17 Tennessee – 89
3) No. 10 Virginia – 112
4) Montana State – 137
5) Purdue – 215
20) Liberty – 437
Men's 8K Blue Race Individual Results (184 Total Finishers):
1) Ben Shearer, Arkansas – 22:55.0
2) Yaseen Abdalla, Tennessee – 22:58.6
3) Kirami Yego, Arkansas – 23:04.2
4) Chandler Gibbens, Kansas – 23:09.6
5) Patrick Kiprop, Arkansas – 23:11.5
66) Kyle Harkabus, Liberty – 24:18.7
77) Jack Cottrell, Liberty – 24:23.8
93) Nathan Moore, Liberty – 24:30.4
97) Jacob Hess, Liberty – 24:31.1
123) Graham Mussmon, Liberty – 24:49.7
137) Ethan Pedersen, Liberty – 24:57.1
174) Gavin Sweeney, Liberty – 25:53.4
Women's Blue Race Team Results (24 Total Teams):
1) No. 6 BYU – 32
2) No. 19 Arkansas – 90
3) No. 7 Virginia – 104
4) No. 17 Oregon – 117
5) Tennessee – 135
20) Liberty – 493
Women's 6K Blue Race Individual Results (196 Total Finishers):
1) Carmen Alder, BYU – 19:36.2
2) Maddy Elmore, Oregon – 19:47.0
3) Paityn Noe, Arkansas – 19:49.6
4) Margot Appleton, Virginia – 19:55.6
5) Jenna Hutchins, BYU – 19:58.3
16) Adelyn Fairley, Liberty – 20:17.7
82) Catherine Farrell, Liberty – 21:23.4
131) Marie Hostetler, Liberty – 21:47.0
145) Jessica Palisca, Liberty – 21:59.1
146) Katrina Schlenker, Liberty – 22:01.3
165) Jessie Zealand, Liberty – 22:19.4
Men's 8K Orange Race Individual Results (124 Total Finishers):
1) Baidy Ba, Kent State – 24:06.7
2) Nick Karayianis, Virginia – 24:14.8
3) Jan Wouter Van Den Akker, UMass Lowell – 24:20.1
4) Kevin Conlon, George Washington – 24:21.3
5) Andrew Jones, Virginia – 24:30.0
78) Ethan Stansbury, Liberty – 25:48.8
Women's 6K Orange Race Individual Results (167 Total Finishers):
1) Josphine Wanjiku, Kansas State – 20:37.3
2) Lona Latema, Kansas – 20:46.2
3) Elizabeth Stockman, Richmond – 20:53.2
4) Anastaysia Davis, BYU – 20:56.0
5) Destiny Everett, BYU – 20:58.0
123) Summer Bejarano, Liberty – 23:07.6
129) Anna Jo Ripple, Liberty – 23:13.6
131) Samantha Troup, Liberty – 23:15.0
132) Sophia Park, Liberty – 23:15.1
147) Grace Ervi, Liberty – 23:37.2
157) Emily Atha, Liberty – 23:50.7
163) Allison Engle, Liberty – 24:27.3
165) Rebecca Brown, Liberty – 24:39.9
166) Rebekah Simmons, Liberty – 25:35.0
167) Kristiana Young, Liberty – 27:36.5
Race Reactions
- Fairley served as the Lady Flames' top finisher for the third time in as many races this season. Her time of 20:17.7 has only been bettered by three runners in program history, including Calli Doan (19:50.6 in 2021), Fairley herself (20:04.9 in 2021) and Ednah Kurgat (20:06.7 in 2015).
- Behind Fairley, each of the Lady Flames' other five finishers in the blue race set new 6K PRs. These included Catherine Farrell's 21:23.4, Marie Hostetler's 21:47.0, Jessica Palisca's 21:59.1, Katrina Schlenker's 22:01.3 and Jessie Zealand's 22:19.4. Palisca shaved 44 seconds off her previous best while breaking 22:00 for the first time.
- The Lady Flames' biggest PR of the day went to Samantha Troup, whose 23:15.0 effort in the orange race shattered the junior's previous 6K best of 24:22.2.
- Harkabus became the Flames' third different No. 1 runner in as many races in 2023, following Tristian Merchant (Eye Opener) and Nicholas Kiprotich (Paul Short Run). It was the first time in his 17 college cross country races Harkabus had led the way for Liberty's men's squad.
- Cottrell was the Flames' No. 2 finisher on Saturday after running No. 7 for the team at each of the last two meets. His 24:23.8 clocking set a new season best by 45 seconds.
- Freshmen Graham Mussmon (24:49.7) and Ethan Pedersen (24:57.1) both clocked the first sub-25:00 8Ks of their career on Saturday. Ten different Flames have now run 8Ks faster than 25:00 this fall.
Up Next
Men's and women's cross country will be the first Liberty teams ever to compete for Conference USA titles, Oct. 28 at Hobson Grove Park in Bowling Green, Ky. The 2023 Conference USA Cross Country Championships will begin with the men's 8K at 10 a.m. Eastern and will conclude with the women's 6K at 11 a.m. Eastern.
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