Cross Country Runs Bests in New York Meet

Several Make Personal Best Times at Meet

Oberlin's men's and women's cross country teams hiked up to New York for a meet in Van Cortland Park, the site of the Foot Locker Championships last Saturday, and fared well against a number of nationally ranked teams.

The teams left everything out on the course, as quite a few runners turned in personal bests and finished high in the packs.

The women's team turned up the heat, finishing in ninth place out of 36 teams. The Yeowomen compiled a total of 293 points, and were just a few points away from moving up a few places. The men's team also finished very well, placing 19th out of 36 teams, even with the absence of injured senior John Rogers and first-year Alex

Scally.

Leading the way for the Yeowomen was sophomore Lori Tuchfeld, who ran an impressive time of 19:52 and finished in 19th place out of almost three hundred runners. With an average time of 6:23 a mile, Tuchfeld was selected by the North Coast Athletic Conference as the Runner of the Week for her efforts.

Stepping up with a big race of her own was fellow sophomore Laura Feeney, who finished 40 seconds behind Tuchfeld and placed 52nd. Senior Jenni Huelsman placed four spots behind Feeny, with a time of 20:37.

The Yeowomen continued to pack their runners together well, as their fourth and fifth runners finished in 91st and 97th place, respectively. Sophomore Kyle McKenzie was the number four harrier with a time of 21:08, and Julia Goeeke ended up close behind in 21:18. The next Oberlin finisher after Goeeke was first-year runner Abby Morris, who placed 152nd with a time of 22:18.

For the Yeomen, senior David Bevacqua was once again the pace-setter of the team as he recorded a 46th place finish with a time of 27:40.

The race was full of excellent teams, including powerhouse Haverford College, which placed five of its runners in the top 10.

Said Head Coach Gavin O'Neal about his teams' performance, "I think we ran a good race. We had some guys that ran their fastest times on a tough course."

O'Neal was also optimistic about Oberlin's potential for the rest of the season. "[Van Cortland Park] was a hilly course, so if they can run their fastest times ever on that course, with a huge field of athletes, it is a good sign to me that we are way ahead of where we were last year."

One of those runners who ran a personal best was senior Erik Ludlow, who ran a time of 28:23 for 78th place. First-year Adam Greeney didn't finish too far behind, in 90th place with a time of 28:31.

Senior Dan Schwartz and junior Will Gayeski rounded out the scoring for Oberlin, completing the race in 137th and 142nd place, respectively.

With the team coming together at the right time of the year, Coach O'Neal said the Yeomen have a good shot at placing well at the NCAC Championships, which will be hosted by Oberlin this year. "I think we have a team that can finish in the top three in the conference. It relies on everyone being [in] healthy and top shape."

When asked if he wishes he could run with the team, O'Neal said, "Sometimes I wish I had some eligibility left so I could run with them, but they can do fine on their own. They need me out there out there to yell at them." Doing fine is an understatement for both the men and women's team, as they are finishing high in big races, and have high hopes for the end of the season.

The Yeomen and Yeowomen runners will travel to Meadville, Pa. on Saturday Oct. 6, for the Allegheny Invitational.