The College's men's and women's cross country teams competed in the 32nd running of the Paul Short Invitational on Saturday at Lehigh University. Stacked up against lots of Division I talent, both Lion teams posted solid performances.
"(The) race had schools from all over the east coast and from California, pretty much a lot of the Division I powerhouses," senior Jenna Fasulo said.
The women's team placed 27th out of 47 teams, while the men's team nabbed 30th place from a field of 44 teams. Georgetown University won the men's team title and Columbia University captured the women's.
The women were led by Fasulo, New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) runner-of-the-year, who finished in 83rd place overall with a time of 22:07.4. The race was won by Elizabeth Malloy of Georgetown University with a time of 20:28.
"I was satisfied with my time because I got a personal best from last year," Fasulo said. "I had hoped on finishing a little higher, but I can't complain."
Junior Kristen Pogorzelski earned 92nd place with a time of 22:11.4 and freshman Martine McGrath finished in 22:32.4, good for 127th place.
"We were pleased with our results," Fasulo said. "I think we took second place out of the Division II and III teams, but one of our rivals, Ithaca, beat us. That'll give us a little motivation for later on this season."
Seniors Kara Horner and Sarah Spilman tallied 191st and 204th finishes with times of 23:10.4 and 23:17.4 respectively. Freshman Megan O'Leary collected 247th place in 23:50.9 to round out the Lions team.
"This race was a good representation for nationals later in the year because it's a similar atmosphere," Fasulo said. "So it was nice to run in that environment and a good experience for everyone."
For the men's team, senior Matt Randal crossed the line first for the Lions in 107th place in 25:20. Senior Ryan Sheehan of St. Francis University won the men's race in 23:53.
Sophomore Brian Kopnicki and freshman Chris Guerriero collected 167th and 188th place finishes in 25:33 and 25:54 respectively. Galen Johnson earned 188th place, while Jeff Zodda followed in 189th, both with times of 26:04.
Sophomore Anthony Arnold placed 232nd with a time of 26:26. Junior Greg Howe clocked a 26:40 to secure 247th place and finish the Lions' seven man team.
