Cross Country Wins Harry Lang Invitational

This past Saturday, the Colgate men’s and women’s cross country teams inaugurated the new season by hosting the Harry Lang Invitational.

The men’s team dominated the competition when they took the course, claiming seven of the top ten spots in the

six-kilometer race.

Senior Ed Sheridan took the top spot in the race, crossing the finish line with a final time of 20:34.00, a full 12 seconds ahead of the next competitor.

The third through sixth-place finishers were all Colgate runners. Sophomore Chris Johnson finished in third with a final time of 21:08.00, closely followed by junior Thomas Hedges (21:19.00) and senior Dan Gleason (21:20.00).

First-year Everett Stilley made a strong first impression, placing sixth with a final time of 21:41.00. Sophomore Tim Phelps placed eighth in the race, crossing the line at 21:45.

Phelps was followed closely in ninth place by senior Grant Stauffer, who rounded out the Raiders’ top 10 performances with a final time of 21:47.00.

As a team, Colgate beat the competition soundly, finishing over three minutes ahead of Delhi College.

“Most of the guys know the course like the back of their hand and that can be beneficial, especially on a hilly course like ours,” Sheridan said.

The women’s squad also began its season with a bang at the Harry Lang Invitational.The experienced team took the three podium spots, and took eight of the top 10 places in the five-kilometer race. Last year’s Patriot League Female Runner of the Year, junior Elise DeRoo, beat out every other runner by 46 seconds, snapping the tape in 15:08.00, which was good enough to break the course record set by senior Stacey Marion in 2007.

Fellow junior Chelsea Burns placed second with a time of 15:54.00, and was followed in third by senior Sarah Cable, who finished in 17:32.00. Marion placed sixth, crossing the line in 18:14.00, and was followed by sophomore Caroline Prins (18:15.00), junior Emma Eckerstrom (18:16.06), senior Hillary Hooley (18:16.31) and senior Julie Tarallo (18:16.55). Junior Kendall Lyons rounded out the pack of Colgate runners in eleventh place, finishing in 18:16.77.

As a team, Colgate beat out second-place Nazareth Women’s College by a very comfortable eight minutes with 23 seconds.

Both squads will return to action for the Colgate Invitational on September 18, looking to continue their early season success.