On Friday, Oct. 5 the men’s and women’s teams competed in the All-Ohio Championships at Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio. The field included Division I, II and III teams. On the women’s side there were a total of 35 teams, 19 of which were Division III. On the men’s side there were 33 teams, 17 of which were Division III. The weather conditions for the race were rainy and cold.
The Yeowomen ran a five-kilometer race. The team placed 17th overall in that race which was the fourth-best finish by a Division III team. Co-captain Laura Feeney led the team with an impressive time of 20:03, which earned her a 56th place finish overall. Feeney, a junior, bested many Division I runners and was among the top 10 Division III runners. Coming in behind Feeney for the Yeowomen was fellow co-captain junior Lori Tuchfeld, who finished in 68th place overall with a time of 20:13. This time was also among the top 20 for Division III runners. Coming in third for the team was sophomore Julie Goeke who ran her best race of the year. She finished 81st overall with a time of 21:21. A large pack of runners followed Goeke, which explains why sophomore Kyle McKenzie finished in 141st place with a time just 4 seconds behind Goeke’s. Rounding out the top five for the Yeowomen was first-year Megan Radder, whose time of 21:48 gave her a 163rd place finish. This marked the first time that Radder had finished in the top five on the team. She took the spot that first-year Shannon Morris usually occupies.
Times of the racers tended to be slow on both sides due to the inhospitable weather conditions. First-year Ryan McGinnis said “that the weather definitely slowed me down.” Others on both teams echoes similar sentiments. The teams are hoping for improved conditions at the all-important conference meet. On the men’s side, Kent State finished second behind Division I power-house Cincinnati.
The Yeomen ran an eight kilometer race. The men’s time had a slightly disappointing finish of 25th overall. This was the 14th best finish for Division III team. One reason that the team did not compete as well as usual was because sophomore Alex Scally and senior Captain Jon Rogers both sat out the race due to nagging injuries.
Coach O’Neal felt that it was best to let two of his star runners rest for the conference meet. In the absence of Scally and Rogers, first-year Ryan Mcginnis finished first for the Yeomen with a time of 27:46, which was good enough for 78th place overall. In second for the team was Adam Greeney, who finished 87th with a time of 27:54. Senior Hans Petersen took third for the team and 161st overall with a time of 29:26. Junior Mike Severino placed fourth on the team with a time of 29:43. Severino finished 172nd overall. Making his first appearance in the top five was Ben Stanley of Brussels, Belgium who finished with a time of 30:11, which earned the 187th spot overall.
The men’s team feels that with the return of a healthy Scally and Rogers they will be competitive in the conference meet. The women are looking for a top-three finish at the meet, which is being held at Wabash (Ind.) College on Oct. 27.