For the third year in a row, both the men’s and women’s cross-country teams took first place in the Landmark Conference Championships this past weekend. The meet took place on Saturday, Oct. 29 at Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The men’s and women’s teams scored a total of 31 and 28 points, respectively.
For the men’s team, four of the Blue Jays placed in the top 10 and five runners’ scores counted overall. Each of the five scorers ran season-best 8k times. Senior Keegan McDonough led the Blue Jays with a time of 26:03.23 and placed second overall.
First-year Samuel Gerstenbacher placed fourth at 26:18.34. For his solid performance throughout the season, Gerstenbacher also earned Rookie of the Year.
Just behind Gerstenbacher was senior Andrew Lesko, who placed fifth with his best championship time of 26:30.23. Junior Tom Fitzgerald placed eighth and first-year Ryan Rippeon placed 12th with times of 26:38.32 and 26:51.38, respectively.
“The team is really excited about the win. This was a very special one for us. We have a lot of younger guys who have never accomplished something like this, so it was good to see them have success at this level,” McDonough said.
As a senior, McDonough has been present for the past three wins. He says that each year the team has won “with a different set of athletes and circumstances,” which speaks to the strength of the program.
Lesko, who has also been present for the past three wins, mirrors McDonough by saying, “We take our training very seriously. This kind of result merely reflects all of the hard work we put into the sport. We are all very pleased to continue to build a dynasty atop the Landmark Conference.”
Both Lesko and McDonough say the men’s team went into the conference planning to win. “Losing was not really an option for us…We knew that we had to run our best to take the title,” Lesko said.
Up next for the men’s team is the NCAA Division III Mideast Regional, which will take place Saturday, Nov. 12.
For the women’s team, the Blue Jays accounted for eight of the spots in the top 12. Senior Casey Quinto led the Blue Jays as she took third place with a personal best 6k time of 21:53.86.
Following Quinto in fourth and fifth place were juniors Brenna McNamee and Kelsey Brady with times of 22:09:48 and 22:14.94, respectively.
Junior Maria Anderson placed seventh at 22:26.52. Seniors Liz Wedekind and Brianna Earnshaw rounded out the top 10, placing ninth and 10th with their respective times of 22:58.02 and 23:00.36.
Sophomore Colleen Kernan placed 11th with her time of 23:08.12. Junior Alexis Groce was right behind Kernan, placing 12th at 12:17.87.
“We are excited to have continued our winning streak in the Landmark Conference. We always want to live up to the amazing teams and runners that have come before us, and continue the traditions they began,” Quinto said. “Every win is a whole team effort, and every person on the roster contributes,” she continued.
The women’s team will also be competing in the NCAA Division III Mideast Regional Saturday, Nov. 12.
