CC teams capture season-opening meets
Neither cross country team was about to let any visitors outrun them in Franklin’s only home meet of the season.
Senior Brandon Welti won his third Sodexo Grizzly Invitational of his career Saturday, while sophomore Carmen Alejo won the women’s race, her first collegiate victory. Multiple Grizzlies on both sides backed up the winners with top-10 finishes, ensuring victory on their home course at the Johnson County Horse Park
Welti finished the 8K course in 27:02.64, winning by more than eight seconds ahead of second-place finisher Tyler Kent of Vincennes University.
Teammates senior Christian Postel and sophomore Jacob Hojnacki finished third and fourth while senior Sean Kennedy finished eighth and sophomore Kevin Martin rounded out the top 10.
In the women’s 5K race, Alejo finished with a career-best time of 19:42.6, winning by almost 14 seconds. Six of Alejo’s teammates joined her in the top eight. Sophomore Heather Waterman lead a string of of five Grizzly finishers in a row with a fourth place finish followed by senior Michelle Heck junior Kristi Brown and freshmen Shannon Egold and Holly Hatch.
