In their second year as members of the conference, the University’s cross country team was host to the MAAC Championships on Friday Oct.31. Fortunately for the Hawks, they faced no hefty travelling as the race was held at their home course in Holmdel, NJ.
The women were able to pull away with a fourth place finish while the men took home a seventh place finish. Although the teams may not have placed as well as they hoped, both squads had strong finishers in a very talented field.
The men ran an 8,000 meter course, and featured a rather competitive field this year. Iona earned 15 points overall, and ultimately the conference title. Next was Canisius was second (66 points), Quinnipiac at third (94 points), Marist took fourth (113 points), and Rider finished fifth (143 points) to round out the top five teams. MU took seventh with 161 points.
Senior Khari Bowen was the first to finish for the men in 25:48.58, which is also a course record for MU at Holmdel Park. Freshman Ben Dillon was next at 26:41.07 and was trailed by sophomore Kevin Summonte who finished at 26:42.27. Juniors Graham Huggins-Filozof and Kevin French rounded out the top five finishing in 26:44.63 and 26:50.88 respectively. The men had a team average of 26:33, which is faster than their previous average for Holmdel Park on Sept. 20.
The women also performed very well in a competitive field, placing fourth out of 11 participating teams. The women ran a 6,000 meter course. Once again, Iona was the powerhouse in the women’s race clinching the conference title with just 20 points. Iona was trailed by Quinnipiac (73 points), Marist (93 points), and then MU’s women’s squad in fourth with 136 points. Sophomore Jenna Cupp was the first runner to cross the finish for the women in 22:21.58, an impressive time for the 6,000 meter course. Cupp placed 18th out of a field of 147 runners.Behind Cupp were freshman Allie Wilson and sophomore Molly McKeon, who finished back to back in 22:44.94 and 22:44.98 respectively. Junior Kendal Hand finished was next with 23:02.25, followed by senior McKenzie Roche at 23:12.12 to round out the women’s top five.
Head coach Joe Compagni shared his remarks stating, “Jenna and Khari both did a great job leading the way for us…we were looking for a better result as a team, but we were proud to host the MAAC Championships and it was a great meet.”
While the Hawks may not have performed as well as expected, the times posted were consistent throughout the season proving MU has what it takes for the postseason battles. The first post season meet MU will be showcased in is the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regionals. which will be held on Nov. 14 at Penn State University, College Park.
