Plumley Finishes Top 20 as Cross Country Opens Season

by Nathan Baliva

MONMOUTH, Ill (08/31/2024) — The Monmouth College cross country teams began the 2024 season with a 5K at the Bob Schulze Invite in Dubuque, Iowa.

Senior William Plumley (Geneseo, Illinois) led the men with a 19th place finish in 16:04.9. Was 29th in 16:27.2 and Xander Stoub (Palos Heights, Illinois) ran 16:59.0 to finish 45th Freshman
Fernando Avila Rubio (Alpha, Illinois) finished 53rd in 17:12.6 with classmate Nico Yeo Wiedman (Henry, Illinois) in 101st at 21:43.5. The men finished in seventh place for the team event.

Samantha Costello (Morris, Illinois) led the women with a 24th place finish in a time of 21:06.7, Melissa Bivolarov (Arlington Heights, Illinois) finished 42nd in 23:06.6. Freshmen
Paige Luntsford (Cairo, Missouri) and Kaeley Kent (Springfield, Illinois) finished 56th and 57th. Luntsford clocked 24:43.5 while Kent was 25:15.4. The women did not record a team score for the event.

MONMOUTH MOMENTS: Four freshmen made their college debuts with Kent and Luntsford on the women's side and Avila Rubio, and Yeo Wiedman on the men's side ... This was the first meet at the helm of the cross country teams for coach Cooper Pauley, a 2018 Monmouth graduate and all-conference runner ... The Scots have two weeks off before competing in the Bradley Intercollegiate in Peoria, Illinois on Friday, Sept. 20.