2008 Season Review
The 2008 cross country season for the Lady Trojans was one full of highlights and laying the groundwork for a great future.
The Lady Trojans got their season off on the right foot with an impressive victory at the first annual Ray Bullock Invitational on their home course. Coach Cindy Callison's team placed five runners in the top eleven spots for a total of 32 points, with the closest pursuer tallying 49.
As she would all season, junior Alyssa Johnson paced the Lady Trojans by finishing in second place with a time of 19:55.00.
One week later the Lady Trojans had a standout performance at the Indiana Intercollegiate Championships where they placed fourth in the 14-team meet. Johnson and fellow junior Tabitha Bogue each earned All-State honors by placing 11th and 19th respectively.
Following a week off from racing, TU traveled across the county to Indiana Wesleyan where they produced some outstanding times including Johnson's 18:50 that placed second, Hilary Pederson in 19:10, Bogue crossed in 19:22, Janet Redding set a personal record with a 20:00, as did Ashley Henry at 20:24. As a team, the Lady Trojans produced their fastest time of the year, 1:37:46.
Taylor's next trip was to Kenosha, Wisconsin for the Lucian Rosa Invitational. The team placed 12th in the 31-team event, but it was not the outcome they were hoping to achieve as they faced several teams out of their region for the first time.
Late October found the Lady Trojans in Michigan at the Great Lakes Invitational. Another solid outing netted the ladies an 11th place finish in a meet that featured the top two NAIA teams in the country.
At the 2008 Mid-Central Conference championships, the Lady Trojans placed 5th in the 9-team event. The highlight of the meet was Alyssa Johnson's 8th place finish which earned her All-MCC honors and additionally qualified her for the NAIA National Championships.
The final meet of the season for the team was the National Christian College championships contested at Cedarville University. On a wet, windy, cold, day the Lady Trojans ran well, placing 8th in the 19-team affair.
The season concluded in Kenosha, Wisconsin at the NAIA National Championships. Johnson, in her first outing at the XC Nationals, had the race of her life as she placed 60th of the 327 runners competing. Johnson also cranked out the best time of her career, an 18:41.2.
Overall the Lady Trojans had a strong season that continued to develop the young core that populated their top five all season. Three juniors, a sophomore, and a freshman consistently ran in the top five throughout the season, and give a bright future to Coach Callison.