SOUTH BEND – Several runners for the Grace College cross country team produced season-best times at the Bethel Invitational on Friday.

The women’s team placed seventh out of 17 squads while the men were 11th out of 14 in the race.

The Lady Lancers posted their second-fastest team time of the year at 1:39.28. The women beat out three other Crossroads League teams — Bethel, St. Francis and Goshen.

Katelyn McCullough continued to lead the squad, earning a ninth-place finish in 19:02. Four freshmen followed McCullough in the race. Ariel Arellano was 17th in 19:21, and Raven Arellano was 35th in 19:46. Julia Neal crossed the finish line in 20:33, and Karla Singer was just behind her in 20:44. 

McCullough, Raven Arellano, Neal and Elizabeth Fox (22:00) all had season-best performances.

“I thought the women ran very well, especially coming off a tough week of exams. Four of the six teams in front of us are ranked in the NAIA poll so there was strong competition,” said Grace head coach Jeff Raymond. “Kate [McCullough] continues to gain confidence as she finishes well in bigger meets. Raven [Arellano] had a very nice run, and Julia [Neal] continues to be a pleasant surprise for our team.”

On the men’s side, Grace’s top four runners were all underclassmen. Freshman Joel Bertelsen ran the fastest time of his young career, ending the race in 26:45 for 25th place.

Fellow freshman Sam Hall was next in a PR time of 27:25, and Tyler Houvener was third for the Lancers in 27:53. Brendan Hamilton crossed the finish line in 28:15, and Brandon Smith was not far behind at 28:27. Hamilton, Smith and Hunter Reed all returned from injury to compete on Friday.

“We had most of our men’s team compete today, so our health is improving,” Raymond continued. “Joel [Bertelsen] ran a very determined race, and it produced a big PR for him. Sam [Hall] also had a good day and is gaining confidence. We still have a month until our conference meet, so our plan is to peak at that time.”

The Lancers have one warmup race remaining before the Crossroads League season. Grace will tackle the Great Lakes Challenge in Grand Rapids, Mich., on Oct. 24. The CL Championship will be held at Huntington University on Nov. 7.