(Geneva, IL.) - Waubonsee Community College's men's and women's Cross Country runners competed in the Aurora University Spartan Classic on Saturday, September 13, at the rugged Settler's Hill Cross Country Course in nearby Geneva. After a lightning delay pushed both the women's 6K and men's 8K races to late in the morning, the Chiefs runners took on the challenging hilly course under overcast skies. A trio of Chiefs' runners remained together until the fourth mile before seperating down the stretch. Led by sophomore Luis Baez, who placed 46th overall with a time of 30:23, Waubonsee's men finished seventh in the team standings with a score of 177. Marcos Corral was close behind his teammate in 49th place, crossing the finish line just four seconds later. Russell Abner, the third man in the Chiefs' trio, eventually came in 57th. Waubonsee's John Neville finished 84th and Angel Huerta placed 87th overall. In addition, the Chiefs' Daniel Strnad was 92nd, Lucas Fiedler right behind him in 93rd place, and Ryan Hendrix rounded out Waubonsee's contingent finishing 98th. NCAA Division III powerhouse North Central College, competing for the first time after the passing of legendary former head coach Al Carius earlier in the week, easily won the men's team title for the day with a score of just 22.

In the women's race Waubonsee had just four participants finish and did not qualify in the team scoring. Freshman Jade Unzueta led the way finishing 26th with a time of 28:35 over the 6K course. The Chiefs' Alexandra Lemke crossed the finish line in 35th place, with Katharine Ball ending up 41st and Imisioluwa Adekoya coming in 45th overall. The host school Aurora took the women's title with a team score of 26 to hold off second place Purdue University-Northwest by nine points. Coach Eric Baron's crew is in action again this coming Friday, September 19, when they take part in the Bradley University Invite at Detweiler Park in Peoria. The men's race is scheduled for 5:15 p.m. with the women's race to follow at approximately 6:00 p.m.