Wildcats Kick Off Home Season with Exciting Opener

ABILENE - The ACU cross country teams had a strong showing at the 2024 Naimadu Classic home opener, with both the men's and women's squads claiming top spots and demonstrating impressive depth and talent to kick off their season.

The ACU women's cross country team dominated their home opener, taking the top seven spots in the 4K race. Freshman Audrey Chitwood led the Wildcats, finishing first with a time of 14:15.9. Close behind was Peyton Bornstein, who finished second with a time of 14:19.1, and Katelyn Coldicott, who came in third at 14:45.0. ACU was able to place nine runners in the top 11.

The ACU men's team also had a strong showing, finishing first in the 6K race with a perfect score of 15 points. Andruw Villa led the Wildcats, coming in second overall at 18:26.6, narrowly behind an unattached runner. He was followed by Zachary Martin in third place with a time of 18:53.7 and Mark Barajas in fifth place at 18:59.7. Seven ACU runners finished in the top 10. 

"It's always good to start at home especially with our team being young," says head coach Nathan Meeuwenberg. "We had some really good performances today and will continue to train hard for the future races." 

The Wildcats showed dominance with their freshman, with Chitwood and Villa claiming first and second place in their races. 

"I was really happy up front that two of our newcomers were leading the way," said Meeuwenberg. "The future is bright for both sides."

Women's Overall:

1. Audrey Chitwood (Abilene Christian) – 14:15.9
2. Peyton Bornstein (Abilene Christian) – 14:19.1
3. Katelyn Coldicott (Abilene Christian) – 14:45.0
4. Hannah Kasper (Abilene Christian) – 14:49.0
5. Alyssa Quinones (Abilene Christian) – 14:53.8
6. Charley Hamilton (Abilene Christian) – 15:03.6
7. Kate Willis (Abilene Christian) – 15:10.5
8. Savanna Danner (McMurry) – 15:26.1
9. Kyla Fuller (Abilene Christian) – 15:48.4
10. Genesis Serratos (Western Texas College) – 15:52.5
11. Lola Buentello (Abilene Christian) – 15:53.1
12. Mallory Moore (Amarillo College) – 15:57.5
13. Ashley Shea (McMurry) – 15:58.9
14. Tessa Holderman (Abilene Christian) – 16:03.8
15. Hadley Phillips (Abilene Christian) – 16:13.1
16. Mia Regalado (Amarillo College) – 16:19.1
17. Mia Morris (Western Texas College) – 16:32.3
18. Mia Lujan (Amarillo College) – 16:41.1
19. Katelyn Hernandez (McMurry) – 16:42.2
20. Savannah Belcher (Amarillo College) – 16:51.3

Women's Team Scores:

1. Abilene Christian – 15 points
2. Amarillo College – 62 points
3. McMurry – 65 points
4. Western Texas College – Incomplete team score​ (Naimadu Girls).

Men's Overall:

1. Kevin Castruita (Unattached) – 18:26.4
2. Andruw Villa (Abilene Christian) – 18:26.6
3. Zachary Martin (Abilene Christian) – 18:53.7
4. Kalil Bell (Unattached) – 18:54.7
5. Mark Barajas (Abilene Christian) – 18:59.7
6. Carlos Cortez (Abilene Christian) – 19:02.3
7. Mikhail Fortner (Abilene Christian) – 19:12.7
8. Jacob Russell (Abilene Christian) – 19:18.7
9. Austin Roberts (Abilene Christian) – 19:25.5
10. Lane Kenney (Amarillo College) – 19:29.7
11. JP Trook (Abilene Christian) – 19:30.6
12. Ethan Rodriguez (Abilene Christian) – 19:31.3
13. Jeremiah Rodriguez (McMurry) – 20:01.7
14. John Abalos (Western Texas College) – 20:03.0
15. Ethan Doyle (Unattached) – 20:07.8
16. Roman Perez (McMurry) – 20:08.0
17. Osbel Cisneros (Western Texas College) – 20:08.7
18. Jerin Perkins (Amarillo College) – 20:21.9
19. Jacob Corral (Western Texas College) – 20:33.5
20. Joel Coronado (Western Texas College) – 20:35.9

Men's Team Scores:

1. Abilene Christian – 15 points
2. Western Texas College – 67 points
3. Amarillo College – 78 points
4. McMurry – 84 points ​(Naimadu Boys).