While most of Colgate’s campus was home during Fall Break, the men’s and women’s cross country teams competed at the University of Albany Invitational last Saturday, October 18. The men finished fourth out of 22 teams in an 8K race thanks to some great performances from a stellar sophomore class, while the women took 10th place out of 24 squads in a 5K meet.

In the 8K, sophomore Griffith Cannon led the way for the Raiders, as he finished 16th out of 186 runners with a time of 25:32.1. Classmate Ed Sheridan finished exactly 15 seconds behind Cannon, which netted him a 24th place finish. Grant Stauffer, the third Class of 2011 member to cross the line for ‘Gate, took 33rd with a time of 25:54.9, and senior Emmett Weatherford (36th place) finished the 8K just two seconds behind him. Senior Tim Drucker (57th place) rounded out the scoring, clocking in at 26:23.2. Marist, Brandeis, and the University of St. Thomas took the top three spots at this meet. Four of Marist’s runners finished in the top-five, including a first-place finish by Girma Segni, coming in with a time of 24:35.2

In the 5K, the underclassmen reigned supreme once again for ‘Gate. Sophomore Julie Tarallo took 27th out of 196 runners, finishing the race in 18:44.7. First-year Chelsea Burns crossed the tape at 18:54.2, which netted her a 39th place finish. Senior Jessica Kielty (49th), who has also made a name for herself on the track, ran the 5K in 19:01.7, and first-year Kelly Cattano (54th) finished with a time of 19:06.9. Junior Suze Fortkiewicz (65th) finished exactly 11 seconds behind Cattano to end the scoring. Brown University won the event and simply dominated on this day. The Bears’ five scoring runners took five of the top seven spots, and first-place finisher sophomore Kelsey Ramsey finished with a time of 17:42.1, 18 seconds ahead of her nearest competitor.

“We’re looking really good and we’re really excited to stand out at Patriots,” Fortkiewicz said.

Colgate will send both its teams to the Patriot League Championship at Lehigh on Saturday, November 1.