Caleb Bailey, Sports Editor
The Armstrong Pirates men’s and women’s cross country teams competed in the NCAA Southeast Regionals on the University of Montevallo campus Saturday, Nov. 5. While the Pirates did not place well enough as a whole to advance, one runner did on the individual level.
Junior Henning Schein made school history when he became the first male runner in Armstrong State history to advance to the Division II National Championships. He also set the record for for the best time on a 10K course, running a 30:37.61, breaking the record set by Paul McRae in 1999.
Schein also became the first Pirate runner to advance to the championship meet since female runner Nikki Garland in 1997. He helped the Pirates finish 16th out of 24 teams overall at Saturday’s meet, which was not good enough to advance in the tournament.
Despite not being able to advance, head coach Michael Sergi was still very proud of Schein for making history.
“There’s no doubt that Henning is a gifted runner,” Sergi is quoted on the team’s official website. “But his talent lies in his work ethic and attitude. It’s easy to improve when things are easy. He’s focused on his goals and is committed to remaining consistent to his success and the success of our program, even through adversity. I’m happy for him and proud of him. We still have two weeks of work ahead of us.”
As a sophomore in 2015, Schein made big strides as he earned All-Peach Belt Conference honors for the second straight season. He also became the first two-time All-Region runner in Armstrong State history and looks to do so for a third time.
Schein will compete in the national championship round Saturday, Nov. 19 on the campus of Saint Leo University in Saint Leo, Florida.
