The Point Park men’s and women’s cross country teams turned in solid performances Friday at the Colonial Invitational hosted by Robert Morris University. The women’s team placed sixth while the men’s team finished seventh in the 10-team fields that included Division I, II and III competition.
The women were led by sophomore Cassondra O’Connor, who crossed the line at seventh place overall. She ran a personal-best 21 minutes, 21.5 seconds in the 6k, marking her second straight top-10 finish after winning the West Liberty Invitational last week.
“We have probably our strongest women’s team in school history,” head coach Tim Creamer said. “Cass is a strong number one runner, and the women from two through seven show we have amazing depth. They are very talented, and once they start to believe in themselves each week, they won’t be afraid to take chances in races.”
Sophomore Zabine Von Westernhagen was the next Pioneer to finish, placing 22nd in 22:12.0. Aubrey Smith was 40th in 22:39.5, while freshman Sterre Kuijper (42nd, 22:42.1) and junior Sophia Lee-Hauser (45th, 22:56.0) rounded out the scoring. Point Park also had depth from Lotte Zethof (46th, 22:57.1) and Alana Dyce-Giraud (50th, 23:06.9), giving the team seven runners inside the top 50.
Carnegie Mellon won the women’s team title with 31 points, followed by Walsh (42), Davis & Elkins (104), Duquesne (122) and West Virginia (122).
On the men’s side, junior Luke McKenna led the Pioneers in the 8k with a time of 25:34.0, good for 43rd place. He was followed closely by sophomore Pedro Lemos (62nd, 26:17.3), sophomore Elijah Bechdel (63rd, 26:22.4) and junior Daniel Sanchis (65th, 26:23.0).
“For the men’s team, this is by far the most talented team they’ve had in school history,” Creamer said. “Learning how to race the 8k distance will be key, since most of them have only run up to 5k before college. Being confident and competitive at that distance will be the next step.”
Carnegie Mellon also took the men’s team championship with 38 points. Davis & Elkins finished second with 50, Walsh was third with 64, Duquesne fourth with 96, and host Robert Morris fifth with 113.
Despite middle-of-the-pack finishes, Creamer said the meet showed that both teams are progressing quickly.
“I thought both teams showed they are willing and able to race at a high level despite being young and growing each week,” he said. “To have 11 of our women and eight of our men run personal bests this early in the season is encouraging.”
With two meets completed, Creamer said the goal now is steady improvement as the season moves forward.
“We as coaches expect to continue to see both groups grow as distance runners and get closer to their individual and team goals,” he said. “We are learning how to race as a team on both sides and to trust their training and fitness to continue to gain confidence in their abilities.”
Both squads return to action Saturday, Sept. 27, at the 24th Annual Lock Haven Invitational.
