By Malcolm Luck
Staff Writer
Coming off a bye week used to celebrate a New Jersey Athletic Championship title, both the men and women’s teams returned to action on Saturday, Nov. 10 to participate in the Atlantic Region Championship in Glassboro, New Jersey.
The women once again dominated their opponents, earning fourth place in a field of 44 teams. Rival opponent and event host Rowan University was left in the dust in 13th place.
Senior Runner of the Year recipient Natalie Cooper showed no signs of late-season fatigue in the 6k event as she claimed second place in 21:54.8, sandwiched between senior Elise Ramirez and junior Genny Corcoran from State University of New York at Geneseo in first and third places.
Among 305 other runners, senior Erin Holzbaur raced her way into 15th place with her time of 23:04.3, followed by senior teammate Madeleine Tattory clocking in 24th in 23:17.0. Breaking the streak of senior finishers was freshman Kelsey Kobus who crossed the finish line in 50th place with a time of 24:01.02.
Sliding into 69th was junior Gabby DeVito in 23:21.8. Rounding out the day for the Lions were freshman Emily Prendergast and junior Hannah Fay in 84th and 86th, respectively finishing in 24:35.4 and 24:38.4.
The women’s team ultimately punched its ticket to the Division III Championships in Oskosh, Wisconsin on Nov. 17. This marks the College’s second straight trip to nationals. Fay attributes the team’s success to its aggressive mindset.
“Going into the race we knew it would be close. Our top five raced really well and we were aggressive from the start,” she said. “Luckily they were able to push through and knock off a bunch of Rochester girls near the end of the race. Going into Wisconsin we’re all really excited to see what we can do.”
The team also received a number of honors prior to the Region Championship. In addition to the Runner of the Year award, Cooper also received First Team All-NJAC honors along with Holzbaur, Tattory and DeVito. Earning Second Team recognition were Fay, Kobus and Prendergast. Head coach Justin Lindsey was also named Coach of the Year.
The men did not earn a nationals appearance, but the squad achieved a 13th place finish.
Finishing first for the men was senior Quinn Wasko, earning 54th place in the 8k event with his time of 27:33.2. Coming in 73rd was freshman William Mayhew in 27:53.0, followed immediately in 74th by sophomore Pelle Nogueira in 27:54.4. Sophomore Robert Abrams claimed 82nd place with his time of 27:58.8.
The final three competitors for the Lions were freshman Nick Falk in 87th, sophomore Matt Kole in 90th and senior Luke Prothero in 194th.
The men’s season ended early, but the women are giving the College something to root for. On Nov. 17, the women’s team will put it all on the line to secure an NCAA championship title.
