By Kevin Llumiquinga
Staff Writer
The College’s men's and women's cross country team continued their strong starts to the season at the 38th Annual Don Cathcart Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 3, at Winter Place Park in Salisbury, Maryland.
The College’s men’s cross country team continued their winning trend by securing their third win of the season with an average time of 25:37, the team ultimately scored 38 points on the eight kilometer course, which secured first place. They outlasted the likes of Salisbury University, finishing seven-points ahead of them.
Junior Phil Pace had an outstanding performance, leading the Lions with a third-place finish, recording a time of 24:51.9. Pace was followed by sophomore Joshua Santiago, who placed fifth, with a time of 24:58.6. Sophomore William O’Donovan, senior Sean Haggerty and junior Will Evarts picked up 10th, 12th and 14th respectively. They all finished within three seconds of one another.
On the women’s side of the race, the College’s team had an outstanding performance and placed third, ultimately scoring 54 points on the six-kilometers course. The team performed well, finishing with an average time of 22:06. Salisbury University secured first place with 44 points, while Johns Hopkins University finished second with 53 points. The Lions finished just one point behind Johns Hopkins.
Sophomore Teagan Walker had a stand out performance, ultimately placing fifth with a time of 21:41.6. Walker followed by junior Ella Daly who finished seventh with a time of 21:49.5. Finally, junior Ava Biemuller finished eighth with a time of 21:50.7, giving the Lions three runners in top ten.
The younger half of the Lions put up strong performances, with freshman Alexis Smith, who placed 19th, recording a time of 22:49.4, and sophomore Malissa Morabito finishing 21st with a time of 23:01.1. Freshman Brenna Traverso finished 24th with a time of 23:19.3.
The team picked up three awards from the New Jersey Athletic Conference. Pace earned NJAC Runner of the Week in the men’s half, and Walker earned it for the women. Smith got nods, earning NJAC Rookie of the Week for the first time.
The College’s victory at the Don Cathcart Invitational continued the men’s team’s success this season, while the women’s team remained competitive. Both teams will look forward to carrying their momentum at the 22nd Annual NJIT XC Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 10, at Branch Brook Park in Newark, N.J.
