The men’s and women’s cross country teams participated in the Patriot League Championships last Saturday, November 1, hosted by Lehigh University. The Raiders finished seventh out of eight schools in the championships. Army and Navy tied for first.

The Women’s cross country squad was coming off a two-week break after a successful showing at the University of Albany Invitational in which they finished 10th out of 24 schools. In the Patriot League Championships, however, things did not come out as well as expected. The team finished seventh with 183 points, only ahead of Lafayette College who finished with 204 points. Like golf, a lower score is better in cross country.

Sophomore Julie Tarallo led the Raiders in this race, as she finished 20th overall with a time of 22:16. She was followed in the Colgate scoring by senior Jessica Kielty, who finished 35th overall with a time of 22:54. First-year runner Kelly Cattano finished third in the Raider scoring and 41st overall with a time of 23:24, while sophomore Hilary Hooley was right behind her at 42nd. Juniors Suze Fortkiewicz and Jennifer Bradley completed Colgate’s scoring by finishing 45th and 46th overall, less than three seconds apart with times of 23:35 and 23:38.

The men’s cross country team arrived at the Patriot League Championships weakened by junior Lyle Tolli’s injury. The men’s team had also had a week of respite after the University of Albany Invitational in which they finished fourth out of 22 teams.

Sophomore Ed Sheridan once again led Colgate in the meet, finishing 20th overall with a time of 25:28, improving last year’s finish by three minutes. He was followed by fellow classmate Griffith Cannon, who finished 29th overall just seven seconds behind Sheridan at 25:35, also improving his performance from last year. Senior captain Emmett Weatherford finished third in the Raider scoring with a time of 26:04, good enough for the 41st place. Weatherford was followed by sophomore Grant Stauffer, who finished fourth in the Colgate scoring with a time of 26:27 and senior Tim Drucker, who finished fifth within the men’s team with a 26:29 mark.

Head Coach Arthur McKinnon was satisfied with the team’s overall performance this season

“Overall, the individual progress we have made this season is excellent,” McKinnon stated. “Our two seniors did very well, as did our sophomores. The first year is always a difficult adjustment to Division I running and the academic demands of Colgate. Last year, Ed Sheridan finished in the 60’s and this year 20th overall. I expect that this sophomore class of six runners will make a significant difference in our placement next year. An injury to Lyle Tolli hurt our overall team finish but in general, to be more successful we need to have a larger senior group with the growth and experience that Army and Navy have.”

The men’s and women’s cross country teams will rest for a week before participating in the NCAA Northeast Regional Championship on Saturday, November 15 at Van Courtland Park.