Three traffic jams on top of Cardiac Hill made the normally tranquil Colgate campus resemble Midtown Manhattan during the New York Marathon on a soggy and windy Saturday morning. The first traffic jam took place on the campus roads outside of Frank Dining Hall and the first-year dorms as parents visiting with their children tried in vain to find parking spots. The other two gridlocks occurred on the Harry Lang Cross-Country Course, where the men’s and women’s Patriot League Cross Country Championships were held for the first time since 1997.

Men’s cross country earned a sixth place finish in the 8k race, which was won by American University. Colgate senior Michael Hanlon managed a second-place finish with a time of 25:29. The Ann Arbor native was only nine seconds away from defeating American’s Brendan Fennell.

“I think that we were successful considering the injuries we had and the course conditions,” first-year Jeremy Fisher said. “Our goals were realistic and we fulfilled them in beating Lafayette and Holy Cross.”

Last year, the women’s cross country finished the Patriot League Championships in seventh place. This year, the more experienced team earned third place on its home turf. Sophomore Kristen Kiraly is the main reason that Colgate made the leap into the first division. She finished in eighth place to lead all Raider runners. Kiraly finished in 77th place at the Patriot League Championships last year. Her 69 spot jump up the standings made her the most improved female member of the Patriot League of this season.

“She improved a lot,” head coach Laura Nardelli said. “Not only has she improved from last year, but from meet to meet she was drastically different.”

Both teams are off until November 11, when they will compete at the NCAA Northeast Regionals in New York City.