The men and women’s cross-country teams officially kicked off their 2023 seasons.
They traveled to Berea College Sept. 1 to compete in the annual Cross-Country Jamboree for their first season meet.
Asbury runners Cameron Tapp and Bailey Gassmann got the opportunity to compete and set new school records for both men and women. Gassmann is a freshman at Asbury this year, and this event marked her first collegiate race. She ran 15:17.7, finishing 10th out of 82 runners over a 4K distance.
“It was a great experience getting to race with the team for the first time on Friday,” Gassmann said. “I’m thankful for the opportunity to set the girls’ record in the 4k, and I’m excited to continue my first season at Asbury and see how the season progresses from here for everyone.”
Tapp faced a series of injuries leading up to the event, spanning over the past two years. He has struggled with his hip flexor, ankle, and knees, all common cross country injuries due to sustained impact on those joints.
“With my history of injuries, I’ve been much more intentional doing everything I can to stay healthy,” Tapp said. “I was feeling really good leading up to the race and performed pretty well. Getting the school record is definitely confidence boost.”
Tapp ran his 6K in 20:33.0 which beat the previous school record set by Wes Preston by 24 seconds.
The cross-country coaching staff was happy with the team’s performance at Berea, especially with Tapp getting the opportunity to perform.
“Bailey and Cam ran well tonight,” head coach Randy Crist told the Asbury athletic department. “I was especially excited for Cam. He has been in-and-out of the training room and physical therapy for two years, and tonight finally got a chance to show what he can do with a consistent stretch of training.”
The Asbury Eagles finished 5th out of 6 teams for women and 5th out of 8 teams for men, giving the teams a good sense of what they need to work on going forward.
Cross-country’s next meet will take place on Sept. 16 at the Midway University invitational.