Cross Country Teams Find Their Stride at Lehigh

MASON OSGOOD ’17
MANAGING EDITOR
The men’s and women’s cross country teams hit their stride at the recent Paul Short Invitational at Lehigh University. This race was their first in two weeks, after a weekend off from racing after the UMASS Dartmouth Invitational.
On the men’s side, phenom Ace McAlister ’20 placed 27th in the men’s Brown Race with an 8k time of 25:17. McAlister was 13th among NCAA division III runners, a strong statistic to have in the beginning of the season. He has yet to finish below the top 10 in the first three of his college races. McAclister will certainly be vying for a spot in the NCAA Division III national championship on Nov. 19. Zach Joachim ’19 placed 101st with a time of 25:52. Overall the men’s team placed 35th out of 45 teams. The men’s team averaged an 8k time of 26:33, or an average mile pace of 5:20.
Though the men posted some impressive early season times, the women truly shined at the Paul Short Women’s White 6k. Three Lady Bantams came in together with a 22nd, 25th, and 27th place finishes. Respectively, the women were Lauren Barrett ’19, Anna Barnes ’19, and Brianna Daly ’19. The strong sophomore showing was followed by Grace Harrison ’20 in 34th place.
Most impressively the women placed 2nd overall out of 41 teams. The ladies were only nine points behind first place team, Kutztown, a Division II school. The full squad of seven placed within the top 60, which certainly played a role in their high team ranking. This second place finish will provide good momentum moving into the NESCAC championship at the end of October.
The next few weeks both men’s and women’s team travel to the Westfield State Invitational on Oct. 8, and the Connecticut College Invitational on Oct. 15. The end of October brings the biggest challenge to the teams yet, the NESCAC championship, which traditionally determines those NESCAC teams who have a chance at qualifying for the NCAA Division III national championship.