SHIPPENSBURG, PA. - On a warm, clear night, the Messiah women's cross country team had a fantastic season-opening race over the 4k distance at the 15th annual Galen Piper XC Classic, hosted by Shippensburg University. The unusual distance, contested over a four-lap course made up of consecutive one kilometer loops, featured one steep uphill and several tight turns that made quick racing difficult. The Falcons weathered the humid conditions of an extremely rare cross country night race with an 8:35 p.m. starting time, earning a surprise team win in 1st place out of nine scoring teams. The Falcons, aided heavily by an incredible 1-2 finish in the overall standings, just narrowly eclipsed Division II host Shippensburg for the team win, finishing with 48 points to Shippensburg's 50. The Falcons also put considerable distance on MAC rival York (7th, 176 points) and regional rival Elizabethtown (5th place, 118 points), showcasing an incredible top duo and strong depth down the line. The Falcons finished with three racers inside the top 10, holding off Shippensburg's incredible depth in the form of nine runners in the top 25 with three very low point-scorers. The Falcons' incredible success in earning the team win serves as a very encouraging team opener and sets them up very well for success throughout the rest of the season.

The Falcons will enjoy a weekend off of racing before returning to action on September 20, 2025, at the Delaware Valley College Aggies Invite in Doylestown, PA. The Falcons' trip east will serve as their preview of the Middle Atlantic Conference XC Championships' course, which will be hosted by Delaware Valley College at the same location in November. The Falcons' next race will provide a wonderful opportunity to compete against other Middle Atlantic Conference competition that will also be there to preview the course as the Falcons look forward to the postseason in two months' time. 

Race Action
 
Junior Ella Swayne and sophomore Delaney Turk provided the Falcons with an incredible top two that was instrumental in earning the team win, with both running sensational races to finish in 1st and 2nd place overall. The duo spent most of the race at the very front of the race with three very consistent kilometers before leaving the competition behind with respective final kilometers of 3:41 and 3:47, two incredible closing splits after an average time of 3:58 across the first three laps. Swayne took the overall win with a time of 15:34.7 with Turk following her across the line with a time of 15:40.8, with both putting considerable distance on the third-place Shippensburg alumni finisher over the final stretch and pulling away for an emphatic Messiah 1-2. 
 
Junior Madison Kimmel ran a very similar race, running very consistent splits for the first three laps before finishing with an incredible split of 3:48, allowing her to move up very steadily relative to her competition throughout the race. Kimmel finished in sixth place overall in the race, following up the effort from her two teammates with an excellent third finish for the Falcons. The freshmen duo of Kenzee Wiker and Emmie Battersby finished fourth and fifth respectively for the Falcons, rounding out the contributors to the team's overall score. Wiker and Battersby began their race quickly, just ahead of Kimmel, and settled into a strong rhythm as the race unfolded, with Wiker closing with a strong last lap of 4:03 and Battersby in 4:08. Wiker finished atop the duo with a time of 16:16.0 to finish in 17th, with Battersby close behind in a time of 16:26.3 to earn 23rd place. 
 
Junior Kayra DeVries also ran a strong race, opening up in the first kilometer with Kimmel and Sophomore Ava Shirk before running consistently for the last three kilometers and finishing with a time of 16:37.7. Shirk tracked along several seconds behind DeVries on each of the final three kilometers, finishing with a time of 16:51.7 as the final Falcon to register a score. Junior Aubrey Yeager finished as the 8th Falcon after completing most of her race in isolation from any teammates, running impressively steady splits before closing in a quick 4:10. Yeager finished with a time of 17:06.3 on the day.
 
The next group for the Falcons to cross the line came in the form of senior Clara Benner, sophomore Meagan Kime, and junior Samantha Mynio, an excellent trio that worked together for the entire race before quickening their pace significantly in the last kilometer. Benner finished as the top of the group as the ninth Falcon, completing her last lap in an impressive time of 4:03 to stop the clock with a time of 17:15.8. Kime finished closely behind after a 4:12 closing kilometer, running a time of 17:24.9, while Mynio closed with a 4:15 final lap for a time of 17:27.4. Senior Allison Keller began her race slightly ahead of the aforementioned trio and ended up working alongside them for a large part of the race, ultimately finishing with a time of 17:35.0. Newcomer Jenna Sobek was the next finisher for Messiah, running an exceptionally strong race apart from any teammates and maintaining even splits to end up with a time of 17:47.0. Sophomore Olivia Miller finished close behind in a time of 18:19.8.
 
A subsequent Falcon pack made up of Elizabeth Anthony, Caroline Shutts, Kelsey Hoffman, Grace Bath, Katie Gardner, and Lexi Lapp all began their race together before splitting apart at various points throughout the race as the final three kilometers unfolded. Anthony finished atop the group with a time of 18:29.9, improving on her time from the exact same race two years ago by an impressive 23 seconds. Shutts, who led the group through the first three kilometers, finished next with a final time of 18:48.3. Kelsey Hoffman (19:10.2), Grace Bath (19:41.6), Katie Gardner (20:09.4), and Lexi Lapp (20:25.0) followed their teammates across the line. Senior Abi Ferry finished with a time of 21:07.4, a 21-second improvement on her time from two years ago, while junior Lia Widenhofer rounded out the Falcons' efforts with a time of 22:10.0. 
 
Up Next
 
The Falcons will enjoy a weekend off of racing before returning to action on September 20, 2025, at the Delaware Valley College Aggies Invite in Doylestown, PA. The Falcons' trip east will serve as their preview of the Middle Atlantic Conference XC Championships' course, which will be hosted by Delaware Valley College at the same location in November. The Falcons' next race will provide a wonderful opportunity to compete against other Middle Atlantic Conference competition that will also be there to preview the course as the Falcons look forward to the postseason in two months' time.