(Image via instagram.com)
Editor: Sydney Cayer
Email: scayer@umassd.edu
So far, in the fall 2024 cross country season, the women’s cross country team competed in two competitions and has seen incredible results in each. The roster is stacked with 16 athletes, ranging from freshmen to graduate students. They are accompanied by their head coach, director of cross country, and three support staff.
On August 31, the team had their first meet, the Wheaton Invitation, in Attleboro, Massachusetts, in Highland Course Park. The race was a 3k.
The meet was multi-divisional, with Division I, II, and III schools present.
The team came sixth overall out of nine.
Highlights of the day include:
Graduate student Emily Philbrook came in 16th with a time of 12:04.5.
Fellow graduate student Emma Steedman came in 39th with a time of 12:39.6
Three seniors experienced personal bests or course personal bests.
Bee Greenberg came in 36th with a time of 12:34.6. Anya Aadland followed with a course PR (personal record) of 12:38.1, and the final course PR of the day was done by Julia Latura running a time of 12:55.7 and coming in 44th.
Freshman Ashlyn Byrnes followed in 50th in a time of 13:12.7.
September 7th marked the second meet of the season, which took place in Machester, Connecticut, at the Trinity Invite in Wickham Park. The team came in 8th out of 11 teams.
The 5k was led by Emily Philbrook, who came in 16th with a time of 20:16. The second Corsair to cross the finish line was Bee Greenberg, running the course in 21:07.5, 27th. Close behind was Emma Steedman in 21:40.5 (38th).
The men’s cross country team has also competed in two meets. With their 20 athletes, they have seen phenomenal results.
On August 31st, they competed at the Wheaton Invitational and came in 7th out of 9.
They raced in a 5k, whereas the women ran a 3k.
The leader of the Corsairs was fifth-year Jake Pari, who snatched a PR and came in ninth with a time of 16:11.9.
Graduate student Frank Wenner also got a PR and finished 28th overall, running the course in 16:45.6. Sophomore Cameron Thompson came shortly behind in 16:49.3, landing 31st and a PR.
Coming in 38th was junior Ethan Sylvia. Sylvia put down a PR and course PR in 16:54.7. Joseph Stanton, a sophomore, also achieved a PR and course PR in a time of 16:58.9 coming in 41st.
The final top finisher was Senior Benjamin Davington getting 46th and running the course in 17:12.3.
The team dominated the Trinity Invite on September 7 with a first-place finish. There were 11 teams at the Wickham Park in Machester, Connecticut.
The top finisher was Jake Paris who came in fourth with a time of 16:36.70.
Cameron Thompson, Frank Wenner, Joseph Stanton, and Benjamin Davington finished one after another with 11th, 12th, 13th, and 15th. Thompson ran the course in a time of 16:55.60, Wenner was closely behind with 16:56.00. Stanton snatched a time of 17:03.1 with Davingnon following at 17:08.0.
The last two top finishers were Ethan Sylvia gaining 27th with a time of 17:18.8 and Davis Preston snatching 48th in 17:35.70.