College Cross Country
Rider Men 2nd, Women 5th at Lehigh Invitational
BETHLEHEM, PA-The Broncs began the 2010 cross country season with the men finishing second of eight teams and the women finished fifth of nine teams at the Lehigh Invitational.
"We came in wanting to win the men's race," said head coach Bob Hamer, "but getting second is great. That's a good start for us. I wanted effort today, I wanted competitiveness, and I think we accomplished both. The women were a little flat but we were not looking to be really sharp right now. At this point of the season, in this heat, we were just looking to be competitive and we were."
The host Mountain Hawks of Lehigh won the men's race, while the U.S. Naval Academy won the women's race.
For the Rider men, senior Christian Gonzalez (Somerset, NJ/Franklin Twp.) placed second overall, covering the 6,000m course in 18:44.
"I'll take second," said Gonzalez, who finished fourth at the IC4A cross country championships last year. "I felt good coming in. I felt that I could have won the race but I guess I wasn't ready for those hills."
"Chris ran a great race," Hamer said. "This is the most fit he has ever been coming into a cross country season. The last two years he has come in after being injured during the track season. This year he had a great track season (All-East, NCAA Regional qualifier), stayed healthy and came in ready to go. He ran a really nice last 1,000 meters to get second. He had a chance to win it."
"I want to get to Nationals this year," Gonzalez said. "Hopefully finish in the top 10 in Regionals and try to win the MAAC race. This was the first summer I was healthy so I was able to train. This is going to be a good year."
For the Rider women, senior Chelsea Callan (Hazlet, NJ/Raritan) placed first for the Broncs, 11th overall of 104 runners, covering the 6,000m course in 22:56. "Chelsea ran great," Hamer said. "She does all the work to get ready, has the right mind-set, and she came out here and was very competitive."
"It was very hot," Callan said of the 92 degree weather. "I felt pretty good for the first 3,000m, just seeing what I could do to start off the season. The heat was a little overwhelming, but this year I was much better prepared, mentally and physically. I got a good result and I'm happy with that. I'm striving for a top 10 finish at MAACs (14th last fall, 18th at ECACs) so I have to keep dropping my times. I feel that is obtainable."
"Our women are young, with the exception of Chelsea," Hamer said, "and it showed a little today. As we gain some confidence as the season goes on, we'll be where we want to be at the end of the season."
Also for the Rider men, senior Michael Soroko (Kinnelon, NJ/Kinnelon) placed eighth overall among the 91 runners, second among Broncs with a time of 19:15. "Mike is healthy, which is huge for us," Hamer said. Soroko was just the third Bronc ever to win an IC4A event (Indoor track 3,000m) but was injured during the outdoor track season. "He is coming off the injury last spring so I am ecstatic for him. He had a really good summer and he's fit and ready to go. Chris and Mike are a great one-two punch."
Junior Michael Lindner (Whitehouse Station, NJ/Hunterdon Central) finished 11th overall in 19:24. "Mike did a good job for us today," Hamer said. "He's maturing as a junior to be somebody who can come in and make a big impact for us."
Sophomore Sean Donohue (Cliffwood Beach, NJ/Matawan) finished 17th overall in 19:35. "Sean stepped up and had a really nice race today," Hamer said. "He struggled at times as a freshman but is ready for a fine sophomore season."
Sophomore Sean McCullough (Plymouth Meeting, PA/La Salle) was 41st overall in 20:10, sophomore Greg Wesh (Horsham, PA/Hatboro-Horsham) was 43rd overall in 20:17 and freshman Corey O'Neill (Old Bridge, NJ/Old Bridge) was 51st overall in 20:23.
Also for the Rider women, sophomore Nicole Tassello (Suffern, NY/Suffern) was 28th overall in 24:14, sophomore Jillian Shutt (Lawrenceville, PA/Williamson) was 53rd overall in 25:06, sophomore Megan Elgin (Doylestown, PA/Central Bucks East) was 54th overall in 25:09, sophomore Paige McAtee (Massapequa, NY/Massapequa) was 64th overall in 25:43, sophomore Erin Fitzgibbons (Sayreville, NJ/Sayreville) was 65th overall in 25:45 and junior Kelli Kaelin (Little Egg Harbor, NJ/Pinelands Regional) was 73rd overall in 26:39.
The Broncs compete in the Bronx (NY) September 11 at the Fordham Invitational.
Men's Team Results: Lehigh 25, RIDER 72, Muhlenberg 89, Lafayette 101, DeSales 153, Widener 154, Moravian 167, Kutztown 170
Women's Team Results: Navy 37, Lehigh 45, Lafayette 72, Kutztown 114, RIDER 144, DeSales 182, Muhlenberg 185, Moravian 195, Cedar Crest 280
*Results were delayed Friday evening due to Lehigh computer problems and complete results have been linked in pdf documents above.
-ru-
