Central, SC – For the first time this season, the Converse College Cross Country Team was back on the course competing against their fellow Conference Carolinas members.  For Head Coach, Mark Rennix and his team, they were excited to compete and that excitement turned into an outstanding performance on the campus of Southern Wesleyan University.  The Valkyries showed that they had taken advantage of the extra time to train and bond as a team, which carried over to today's meet.

Converse competed in a 5K and ran against Belmont Abbey, Southern Wesleyan and King University.  Sophomore Piper Grant and Junior Caroline Felkel would set the pace for the Valkyries, finishing 9^th and 10^th in the event.  Grant finished with a time of 21.37, while Felkel was close behind with a time of 21.43.  Not far behind were Freshman Bayley Robinson, who was competing in her first collegiate meet, and Senior Abigail Jolley.  Robinson would finish the day in 12^th place with a time of 21.54, while Jolley clocked in at 21.56 for 13^th place. 

The Valkyrie runners continued their strong showing with Junior, Jordan Onufer placing 15^th (22.25), Sophomore, Ashley Blanton finishing 19^th (22.59), Freshman, Libby Harvey coming in 20^th place (23.21), Sophomore, Jetta Turner finishing with a  time of 23.44 and Freshman Hannah Rothrock with a time of 24.22.  "This was a great start to the year", said Head Coach Mark Rennix.  "They ran a great team race and executed their race plans to perfection.  Their hard work and consistency definitely was obvious tonight.  We were very thankful for the opportunity to get out there and compete".  Converse runners combined for an overall team score of 59, which propelled the Valkyries to a 2^nd place finish.

Overall Scores:   http://www.cfpitiming.com/liveresults/2020_Cross_Country/SWU_xc_2020/