Courtesy of UR Athletics
This past weekend, the University of Rochester men’s and women’s cross country teams were back in action as they raced at the Rowan University Border Battle in Glassboro, New Jersey.
Both teams sent full squads to New Jersey for what is the last meet of the season that does not require that athletes have a qualifying time to compete.
The men’s squad was led by juniors Dan Nolte and Eric Franklin, who finished 20th and 32nd, respectively. Senior captain Jeremy Hassett finished third for the ‘Jackets and was closely trailed by freshman Forrest Hangen, who earned second place. Junior Jake Greenberg rounded out the top five for the team.
Every member of the team’s top five runners—as well as the majority of the rest of the team—set a personal record. The overall team ran an average time of 25:52.84 for eight kilometers and captured ninth place out of a very competitive field.
The women’s team managed to secure third place in a field stacked with seven nationally-ranked teams, with superb performance in all scoring positions. Three UR runners among the top-10 overall finishers. Junior Annie Peterson led the squad, placing seventh, while Senior Katie Knox and Victoria Stepanova ‘T5 finished eighth and tenth respectively.
Rounding out the women’s team’s top five were juniors Sam Kitchen and Audrey McCarthy. As a team, the ‘Jackets covered six kilometers in an average time of 22:01.05, and on top of the impressive performances at the front end of the squad, most remaining members of the team were able to post a personal record to round out the season.
Moving forward, the top-10 runners will be racing at Brandeis University on Halloween for the UAA conference meet. Following this meet, the top seven runners will compete against other teams from across the region at Letchworth State Park in hopes of securing a bid to the national meet.
It is exciting to see the Yellowjackets make strides forward as the season comes to a close.
“As a group, on both the men’s and women’s side, we are hoping to improve our team position compared to previous years at UAAs and qualify for nationals,” senior Mintesinot Kassu said. “Both goals will be challenging […] but we think they are definitely in reach after this past weekend’s strong performances.”
Kuhrt is a member of the class of 2017.
