LEBANON, Pa. – Racing on a flood-changed course, the Lycoming College cross country teams competed at the historic Union Canal Tunnel Park as part of the 39th annual Dutchman Cross Country Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 10. Junior Michelle Herman (Altoona, Pa./Hollidaysburg) led the teams, posting a 54th-place finish in a field of 171, finishing in 21:13.69 on the 5,000-meter course.
“It was a tough week for the Warriors,” head coach Lesley Larson said. “Due to the weather, we were forced indoors to train. I was strategic in my scheduling to allow weeks without meets for more intense training. We will need that next week.”
On the women’s side, freshman Alanna Cimerol (Whitehall, Pa./Whitehall) added a time of 23:24.49 to take 114th and sophomore Carmen Niemeyer (Brookings, S.D./Brookings) added a time of 25:19.15 to take 149th. Freshman Tiffany Casulli (Port Jervis, N.Y./Port Jervis) rounded out the women’s runners, placing 160th with a time of 27:30.23.
“The women fared well for individual times,” Larson said. “The fast field pushed the women to run faster mile splits.”
On the men’s side, the Warriors raced on a flood-shortened 5,000-meter course, finishing 13th in a field of 14 teams that included nationally-ranked Johns Hopkins and three of the top teams in the Middle Atlantic Conference - Elizabethtown, Messiah and Lebanon Valley.
Freshman Rory McAtee (Easton, Pa./Wilson Area) led the Warriors, coming in 100th with a time of 18:21.35 and freshman Alex Bottorff (Cicero, N.Y./Cicero-North Syracuse) added a time of 18:49.69 to take 114th. Sophomore Mike Puchalski (Redlands, Calif./Redlands East Valley) took 122nd with a time of 19:14.23 and freshman Gerhardt Gerckens (Milford, N.J./Delaware Valley Regional) came in 131st with a time of 19:57.13.
Senior R.J. Wiechecki (Garnet Valley, Pa./Garnet Valley) added a time of 20:07.69 to take 136th in the field of 160 runners. Junior Kevan Guerin (Lebanon, Pa./Cedar Crest) crossed the line in 21:14.68 and junior Isaiah Thomas (Bergenfield, N.J./Bergen C.C.) posted a time of 22:52. 93. Freshman Jacob Kupperman (Manlius, N.Y./Fayetteville-Manlius) rounded out the Warriors’ runners with a time of 24:09.96.
The Warriors take a week off before heading to the Messiah College Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 24 for an 11:15 a.m. race.
