On Saturday, November 22, the men’s and women’s cross country teams enjoyed a successful culmination to the 2008 fall season. The lady Raiders participated in the ECAC Championships held at Van Cortlandt Park in New York City, while the men’s squad participated in the IC4A Championships in Boston.

The ECAC Championships were held in the same venue as the NCAA Qualifiers the weekend before, but the course had been revised and made more challenging. It also did not help that the team was running in sub-freezing temperatures. The Raiders finished 12th in a field of 23 teams.

Senior captain Jessica Kielty had a great ending to her collegiate career, as she finished 25th overall in a field of 230 runners in the 5k run with a time of 19:23, which was five seconds better than her finish last year. Sophomore Julie Tarallo came in second place in the Raider scoring and 51st overall with a time of 19:47. This was her debut in the ECAC Championships. Completing the scoring for Colgate were sophomore Hilary Hooley (72nd), first-year Kelly Cattano (79th) and sophomore Jennifer Bradley (87th).

Head coach Laura Nardelli commented on the illness that hampered the team’s season and her hopes for the team’s future.

“Key team scorers Stacey Marion, Chelsea Burns,and Elise DeRoo were hampered by illness this fall,” Nardelli said. “The women, however, were encouraged by the individual improvements they have seen this season, and as a youthful squad, we look forward to a very bright future.”

The men finished in the 13th position out of 26 teams at the IC4A’s. Sophomore Ed Sheridan once again proved himself to be Colgate’s strongest runner this season, as he led the Raiders with a 13th place finish in the 5-mile run with a time of 26:04. This was enough to merit him All-East recognition. Senior captain Emmett Weatherford ended his career at Colgate by placing 29th overall with a time of 26:34. Sophomore Griffith Cannon, another one of Colgate’s strong runners this year, finished in the 42nd position and third in scoring for the Raiders. Completing the scoring for the Raiders was senior Tim Drucker with a time of 27:23 and sophomore Grant Stauffer at 27:54.

Head Coach Arthur McKinnon commented on the obstacles faced by the team this season and his goals for the future.

“This was a frustrating season in that we encountered some major sickness and injuries,” McKinnon said. “One of my seasonal goals is to get everyone healthy to all the meets. That did not happen this year. The team was led by the underclassmen this year, so if throughout the next two years the team is able to stay healthy, it will be much more competitive.”