By Evin Caswell, Staff Writer
The Susquehanna women’s cross country team placed 17th out of 27 at the Inter-Regional Border Battle hosted at Rowan University on Oct. 19 in Logan Township, N.J. while the men’s team placed 26th out of 29.
Senior Erin Reese led Susquehanna’s women’s team, placing 20th out of 224 runners in the 6k race. Reese recorded her personal best with a time of 22:18.3 and was the first finisher for the Landmark Conference.
Reese was named Landmark Cross Country Athlete of the Week following her performance at the event. It was the third time this year that Reese has received the honor.
“It feels great to get athlete of the week because it shows all the work I have put in throughout summer and the season is paying off. It also gives me confidence going into the championship meet and regionals,” Reese said.
Junior Marissa Kleman came next for Susquehanna runners with a personal best time of 22:39.5. Kleman finished 36th overall and fifth among Landmark finishers.
Freshman Kallan Carter was the third finisher for the River Hawks with a time of 23:01.9, putting her in 55th place.
Senior Emily Eck was the fourth finisher for the River Hawks. Eck, like most of her teammates, also recorded a personal best with a time of 25:06.0, placing her 165th.
The fifth and final runner to score for Susquehanna was senior Alexa Pietrini, who placed 177th with a time of 25:35.6.
Other finishers for Susquehanna included sophomore Anastasia Farley who placed 193rd with a time of 26:08.8, senior Katherine Mayer who placed 194th and freshman Meghan McDonald who placed 204th.
Sophomore Jack Warehime led Susquehanna’s men’s team with a place of 108 out of 256 runners. Warehime finished the 8k race with a personal best time of 26:19.10.
Junior Jake Menchey finished second for the River Hawks with a personal best time of 27:51, placing him 192nd in the race.
The next Susquehanna runner to finish was sophomore John Sabella. Sabella barely finished behind Menchey with a personal best time of 27:51:3, good enough to place him 193rd.
Senior Brandon Sorge was fourth to finish among Susquehanna runners. Sorge finished 214th in the race with a time of28:35.6.
The final runner to score for the River Hawks was Bradshaw Henning, who ran a personal best time of 30:40.6.
Other finishers for Susquehanna included senior Rob Masters with a time of 31:42.60 and freshman Thomas Simmers with a time of 32:49.40.
“I think we have done a great job of continuing to get better every race,” Susquehanna’s coordinator of cross country, Ethan Senecal said. “This past weekend at Rowan 12 out of 18 runners had personal best, some over a minute faster than previous best.”
“We have two new coaches this year with Coach [Jeremiah] Clinchoc and Coach [Ryan] McGuire that have both done a tremendous job with the training and mentoring of our athletes,” Senecal added.
The next meet for the Susquehanna men and women’s cross country team will be the Ashley Tomlinson Alumni Run at 10 a.m. on Oct. 26 at the East Snyder Park in Selinsgrove, Pa..
This meet will undoubtedly represent an important one for both the men’s and women’s cross country teams, as it will mark the final meet before championship season begins.
On Nov. 2 at 12 p.m., for example, the Landmark Conference Championships will be held at Colmar Manor Community Park in Colmar Manor, Md.
Following the completion of the Landmark Conference Championships, those that qualify will have the opportunity to compete at the NCAA Division III Mideast Regionals, which will be held at the Goodman Campus Cross Country Course in Bethlehem, Pa.
Surely, the River Hawks will be looking to find more success as the season begins to wind down.
