On Saturday, Oct. 13, Genesee Valley Park served as home to the UR cross country teams’ Yellowjacket Invitational.
The men’s team’s standard this year of running in close packs was yet again a characteristic of this invitational. After only a group of freshman members of the team ran the previous week at Hamilton College, UR’s group of regular runners competed once again on Saturday.
This group brought in six runners within 17 seconds of each other, bringing them to fourth place overall in a group of 13 teams. They totaled 95 points, just nine behind third place Mansfield University. Allegheny College took home the win, summing only 28 points.
Four seniors were the top scorers for the team. Senior Pat Hughes was the leader, finishing 17th in a field of 150 finishers. He completed the 8-kilometer race in 26:27. Next for the Yellowjackets were the senior duo of Nick Roosa and Dan Mueller. They placed 20th and 21st, respectively, both with times of 26:33. The final senior placer was Mark Stevens, who came in at 23rd with a time of 26:37.
Just behind Stevens was freshman Jon Pinto, clocking in at 26:41 for a finish at 24th. UR’s first displacer was just behind him – junior Dan Chebot placed 25th with a time of 26:44. The second displacer for the team was junior Tom Brekke in 46th place with a time of 27:41.
The performance from the women’s team featured an individual finish in the top 10 and a team finish in the top third of the field. The ‘Jackets totaled 159 points overall to tie for fifth place with Nazareth College in a race of 15 teams. The victory came from Western Ontario University, who blew their competition out of the water with a score of 17 points.
Senior Kellie Hasselwander was the leader for the team, placing ninth out of 164 finishers. She crossed the finish line at 19:12 on the 5-kilometer course.
The next runner through the chute was sophomore Allie McComb, who finished 30th overall with a time of 20:01. Shortly behind her was senior Laura Richenderfer, who was 41st overall, finishing in 20:14.
Sophomore Sadie Gollub continued the scoring for UR with a finish at 20:27. She placed 47th overall. Just four seconds later was fellow sophomore Lisa Cole, making her mark in 51st place.
The two displacers for the women’s team were junior Lauren Jewett and sophomore Suzanne Giunta. They placed 54th and 65th, respectively, clocking in at 20:34 and 20:58.
This weekend, the ‘Jackets will take a break from competition and will participate in the Meliora Weekend Alumni Fun Run. Racing will pick up again on Saturday, Oct. 27 for the University Athletic Association Championships at Brandeis University when they begin their streak of championship meets.
Philbrick is a member of the class of 2009.
