Pate topples school record again as Pride cross country closes 2025 at Heart Championships

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - For the final time of 2025, the Clarke University cross country teams took to the course as they ran at the Heart of America Athletic Conference Championships in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Saturday afternoon.

A chilly and gloomy November Saturday turned a little sloppy as rain started to fall just moments prior to the start of the first race at 11:00 a.m. CT at Seminole Valley Park as the women's 6K race would kick off the day of races.

Jumping ahead to the men's race, Clarke's men's produce what could be considered their best race in program history with all five runners posting their best 8K time of the season and four of the five running personal best times for a team finish that tied by sixth place with Baker University but the Pride bounced down to seventh on a tiebreaker, matching their program best finish at the Heart Championships, the last two seasons.

Leading the way for the second-straight year at conference was senior Drew Pate as the Anamosa, Iowa native broke the school record for the second-straight year at the Heart Championships, besting his 2024 time by over 30 seconds at 25:35.9 for 27th place finish after his 26:17.2 earned Pate 26th place in 2024.

The spread between CU's second and fifth finishers was less than 40 seconds as Bryce Kondos posted his personal best at 26:25.3, Chesney Capron ran his best time of the season at 26:31.6, Eric Chatham ran a PR of 26:47.2, and Cord Nietert hit his PR as well at 27:04.3 to round out the team scoring.

The Pride women would post a team 12th place finish led by senior Jaycie Franco as the two-time national qualifier finished in 27th place with a final time of 23:05.2 with sophomore Bridget Bracy about two minutes behind Franco at 25:07.9 for 69th place.

Freshmen Lexie Dukas and Lilli Green got their first championship action with Dukas running a 28:02.8 and Green rounding out the times at 32:31.6 as CU was able to post their first team score of the season thanks to a inter-team loan of junior Madison Peck from the women's volleyball program as she produced a 27:31.6 in her first collegiate cross country race to finish in 103rd place.

Clarke cross country will now have about a month away from competition before they transition into indoor track and field season that will begin on Dec. 6 when Clarke track and field opens 2025-26 at the Frigid Bee Invite hosted by St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa.