After a strong performance at regionals, the men’s and women’s cross country team competed at the NCAA Division III National Championships over the weekend in Hanover, Ind.
It was the final meet of the season for both teams. Both Eagles teams finished 32nd, but head coach John Curtin stressed that it was more about the experience than the result.
“We obviously would’ve liked to run a little better, but our expectations going into nationals were not particularly high,” Curtin said.
Several runners still turned in solid performances. Senior Eddie Mulder led the men with an 8K time of 26:07, good for 129th place in a 257-man field.
Fellow senior Alex Fleischhacker was next at 26:32.
The men had a strong performance from their freshman runners, with Austin Hunt (27:51) and Michael Sisario (28:19) finishing fifth and seventh on the team, respectively.
Juniors Tyler Cooke and Patrick Crews and senior Hank Ashforth claimed the Eagles’ third, fourth and fifth spots.
For the women, junior Tamara Surtees led the way with a 22:42 6K and crossed the line in 111th place out of 280 runners. It was Surtees’ seventh time this season leading the women’s team.
Senior Emily Caesar followed in 142nd place with a time of 22:53. Also placing for the Eagles were junior Marissa Gogniat, senior Meredith Lorch, junior Elise Viox, sophomore Ashley Stumvoll and freshman Michelle Kagei.
The women’s team totalled 734 points, while the men’s team totalled 844. Johns Hopkins University (Md.) won the women’s title with 85 points, while St. Olaf College (Minn.) took the crown with 84.
It was the men’s team’s first appearance at nationals since 2009 in a season where they lost their top runner, national qualifier Lucas Mees, to an injury. Curtin suggested that while the team may have been unprepared for the level of competition they faced, the experience will benefit them in the future.
“We did a hell of job this year to make it to nationals,” he said. “It’s a step in the right direction.”
Both teams have a splendid opportunity to climb the national ladder in upcoming years.
Curtin mentioned watching University Athletic Association (UAA) rivals that the Eagles defeated just a few seasons ago succeed at nationals.
The Eagles are young with talented freshmen on both teams – Hunt, Sisario and Michael McBane on the men’s side and Kagei on the women’s side – and, with only a few departing seniors, have a chance to make real strides in upcoming seasons after getting a taste of the big stage at nationals.
“I see young kids that are buying in,” Curtin said. “They’re thinking, ‘I’ve got to take myself to that level.'”
– By Ryan Smith
Photo courtesy of Emory Athletics
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