Despite not finding the same team success as their previous two meets, runners for the Rowan Women’s Cross-Country team performed at a very high level and opened a lot of eyes while facing tough competition in the Dickinson College Long-Short Run Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 23.

The Profs finished eighth in the 6k race, which was led by senior Mia Guerra who set a new PR by over two minutes with a time of 22:57.6. She also took home New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Runner of the Week honors for her stellar performance in the meet. 

Guerra was ecstatic to win Runner of the Week for the first time in her collegiate career due to her excellent performance. The senior is exceeding her own expectations with a great September and hopes to sustain her fast start for the rest of the season. 

“The past three years, I thought there’s no way I would ever get this,” Guerra said.

Despite coming in eighth in the 6k race, Head Coach Derek “Ringo” Adamson is very pleased with his team’s performance, which left him very optimistic about their outlook for upcoming meets. 

“You should’ve seen what we came in eighth against,” Ringo said. “These girls knocked off some top-ranked teams in the country. We just gotta get ready for the next one and keep moving up. We found ourselves, and we’re just gonna keep coming.”

When asked about Guerra’s performance, Ringo wanted the spotlight to be entirely on her.

“Forget about me,” Ringo said. “It should brighten up her day. I said to her, look at what you accomplished with that time. She beat her previous record by over two minutes. It’s just amazing to me.”

Another notable performance was that of freshman Ally Wernik, who took home NJAC Rookie of the Week honors for the second time this season. 

With their third standout performance in as many meets, the Rowan women’s cross country team is on fire and will look to stay hot on Saturday, Sept. 30 at the Paul Short Run. 

“It’s going to be fast,” Ringo said. “We’re coming to run fast.”

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