By Malcolm Luck
Staff Writer
Fresh off a sixth-place finish at the NJIT Highlander Challenge on Oct. 6, the women’s cross country team returned to the track to compete at the Connecticut College Invitational on Oct. 13. The women proved their consistency, capturing another sixth place finish in a field of 25 total teams.
Senior Natalie Cooper came in clutch for the Lions, claiming second place out of 307 total runners with her time of 21:10.2, just a fraction of a second slower than sophomore Kaitlin Mooney from Coast Guard. Junior Gabby DeVito claimed second, finishing in 22:46.1, followed by senior Madeleine Tattory in 49th, finishing the 6k event in 23:06.6.
Senior Erin Holzbaur was up next for the College, claiming 72nd in 23:27.6, followed by freshmen Kelsey Kobus in 94th, with her time of 23:48.3 and Emily Prendergast in 98th in 23:52.8.
Junior Hannah Fay led the next surge of Lions with her time of 24:18.6, good for 121st. Junior Ryann Reagan was not far behind in 150th, crossing the finish line in 24:41.1. Sophomore Zoe Paxos’s time of 24:44.4 was good for 158th, followed by sophomore Casey Hopkins at her time of 24:59.6.
Rounding out the day for the Lions were sophomore Jill Neggia, senior Olivia Shenkman and freshman Grace Cocanower coming in 191st, 195th and 208th places.
The men’s team saw a significant drop off in performances from the NJIT Highlander Challenge. After claiming fourth place just one week prior, the squad members found themselves in 16th place at the Connecticut College Invitational out of 27.
First to cross for the College was freshman William Mayhew, completing the race in 26:05.02. Sophomore teammate Pelle Nogueira followed in 68th with his time of 26:09.2. Senior Quinn Wasko claimed the third-best time for the Lions, finishing the 8k in 25:15.4, which was good for 78th.
In a distant 110th was senior finishing in 26:33.7, followed by sophomore Matt Kole in 26:40.2, claiming 117th. Sophomore Alex Carideo and junior Chris Coombs trailed in 141st and 154th with their respective times of 26:51.6 and 27:01.4 while sophomore Noah Preihs and freshman Pat Mulligan earned times of 27:21.0 and 27:34.7, good for 196th and 223rd.
After a bye, the College will participate in the New Jersey Athletic Conference Championship held at Rowan University on Saturday, Oct. 27 in Glassboro, New Jersey.
