NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - Belmont women's cross country showcased depth and resiliency in placing 11th at the Commodore Classic Saturday.
The unforgiving hills - coupled with unseasonably warm temperatures and one the top fields of the young fall season - made for an extremely formidable examination for the Bruins.
Despite the tough conditions, numerous positives came out of the race.
Kortney Schardt (Lindenhurst, Ill.), fresh off her Belmont Opener triumph two weeks ago, ran her personal best time at the Percy Warner Park course with a time of 18:04.9, finishing 21st.
"I think I felt really good about that," said Schardt. "I'm not satisfied with that yet, so I think that just attests to my fitness level this season. I just feel a lot better than in my previous two seasons."
"We're really happy with Kortney Schardt again," said Kate Bucknam, cross country assistant coach, "She, I think, ran her fastest time on this course today. She didn't feel super great, so that's a really good sign when she's not feeling good and also running a course [personal record]."
"I was also really happy with our one freshman, Taylor Cuneo," Bucknam added. "She's obviously the only freshman on our team and is kind of going it alone in a sense. She stepped up as our No. 4 runner today, ran right with Sierra [Lax] the whole time, and did exactly what she was supposed to do."
Despite five top 75 finishers, Bucknam referenced strong pack running and a unified plan of attack for future meets.
Ohio State won the overall team title with 105 points.
Belmont returns to competition Saturday, Sep. 29 in the Louisville Classic.
BELMONT RESULTS
21. Kortney Schardt, Jr., 18:04.9
42. Claire Cheeseman, So., 18:33.0
57. Courtney Alama, Sr., 18:42.9
70. Taylor Cuneo, Fr., 18:54.1
72. Sierra Lax, Jr., 18:55.6
146. Maria Brauer, Jr., 20:22.8
151. Anna Arrick, So., 20:28.2
158. Gabrielle Yatauro, Sr., 20:46.2
165. Mallory Young, Sr., 21:30.8
