Methum, Ghiorso earn All-American honors at NAIA XC Championships

TMU Cross Country captains Wesley Methum and Arianna Ghiorso earned NAIA All-American honors to highlight the Mustangs' participation in the NAIA National Championship on Friday morning at the Seminole Valley Cross Country Course in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
 
"Even though we didn't produce the team performances we had hoped for, we still had some new lifetime bests and are coming back with All-American honors for Ari and Wes, and thank the Lord for that," Master's head coach Zach Schroeder said.


 
In the men's 8K, Methum led the way for TMU in 20th place, finishing in a time of 25:06.03. Methum is the eighth Master's men's cross country runner to earn the status of All-American.
 
"I'm so thankful for the opportunity that the Lord gave each one of us racing today," Methum said. "He has given us so much and it is such a blessing to worship Him in this way."
 
Ghiorso crossed the line of the women's 5K in a time of 18:20.46 to finish 27th and become the sixth All-American in women's program history.
 
"This race was such a blessing from the Lord," Ghiorso said. "It was a gritty race for sure by all. The course was pretty muddy, slippery and windy, but coach always tells us to remember that everyone is racing in the same conditions and has to overcome the same obstacles. It was helpful to remember that when the race got tough.
 
"I'm just so thankful for this team and for their support, but most importantly for the Lord's gracious will in allowing me this opportunity to run for Him."
 
Both Mustang teams entered the day ranked 11th in the NAIA Coaches' Poll, with aspirations of finishing in the top-four to earn a spot on the podium. Ultimately, the Mustang men placed 14th as a team with a score of 405, while the women finished in 17th with a team score of 418.
 
"Today we struggled to get our teams firing on all cylinders," Schroeder said. "To win in this sport, you have to have five runners all perform well on the same day. We worked hard to that end, but ultimately, victory is from the Lord."


 
Brint Laubach, who earned NAIA All-American honors as a freshman in 2019, was the second-highest finisher for the TMU men, placing 75th in a time of 25:54.34. Daniel Rush was next in 105th (26:19.25), followed by Davis Boggess in 107th (26:19.38) and Zach Garey in 148th (26:48.73).
 
"I loved the way that each of our guys responded to the results of the race today," Methum said. "Such a humbling experience to be a part of a group like this."
 
For the TMU women, making their first appearance at nationals as a group since 2017, Kimberly Page was the second Mustang to finish, placing 66th (18:53.25). Sophie Southerden (123rd – 19:23.10), Autumn Nootbaar (163rd – 19:42.68) and Brooke Milam (208th – 20:09.01) rounded out TMU's team scoring.


 
Schroeder is hoping that his teams will be motivated going forward by not finishing as high up on the leaderboard as they had hoped.
 
"Our hope is that the disappointment will keep us humble and hungry to continue striving hard to offer our absolute best in how we prepare and perform to glorify the Lord," Schroeder said.
 
Regardless, Schroeder still considers it a successful trip.
 
"So many athletes define their success by how close to the top they perform, but we measure our success by how well we point the world to Christ," Schroeder said. "I believe the team did that well this weekend, so in that regard, we absolutely succeeded."
 
Both cross country teams now shift their focus back to track & field, with the Golden State Athletic Championships coming up in two weeks on April 23-24.
 
"I love working with these teams because their love for the Lord and each other is clearly evident," Schroeder said. "I believe the love this team puts on display is a bold statement that we are playing sports for Jesus."

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