Sports

Cross country teams win short course invitational

By Joe Jensen ’15

For most sports, running is a form of punishment, and most athletes will attest that conditioning is always a dreaded part of practice. However, that is not the case for cross-country runners, as they are wired to run miles on end while enjoying every bit of it. Though the Hamilton College cross country team is just starting its season the runners have been training year round.

This year the men’s team will be led by Ben Yeo ’15 and Dan Baer ’15. Though they only have two seniors, the team has six experienced juniors, such as Harry Sullivan ’16 and Evan Abelson ’16. Baer pointed out the strengths of the team, saying, “In recent years we have had some amazing runners come through the program, but we have never had a team as deep we do this year, which is gonna be a crucial component to our success come championship season.”

When asked about his expectations for this season, Yeo replied, “We have the talent to qualify as a team for Division III XC nationals.” Baer had a similar response, expecting to, “climb up the Atlantic Region rankings and knock off some of the historically top teams in our region.” This will not be an easy task, but the team has put in countless hours of work and shows no signs of letting up now.

The women’s team will be lead by seniors Tina Choinski, Emily Banzer, Hallie Loft  and Edie Wilson.  Also looking to have a big part in the success of the team are Lainie Smith ’16 and Samantha Buttrick ’17. When asked about the team’s best aspect, Choinski responded, “The strengths of the team are its strong top runners and the pack running utilized by everyone.”

Banzer went on to reply about the keys to a successful season, “It’s going to be important for us to perform well week to week, but also to think long-term. Since all of our championship meets are later in the season, we need to do everything possible to ensure everyone is healthy and 100% prepared for those November meets.”

Just like the men’s team, the women aspire to a productive season. Choinski noted, “I think we are going to have a successful outcome at both NESCACs and Regionals this year!” If everyone stays healthy and continue to improve as a team they can make a good run this season.

This past weekend on Sept. 6 the Continentals began their season with the annual Hamilton Short Course Invitational. The men and women posted strong starts, winning both team titles while also having individuals take first place. Despite the size of the meet being relatively small, the competition was still strong, as Division I Sienna was one of the three schools competing.

On the men’s side, Yeo led the field in covering the six-kilometer course in 19:44. Sullivan, Jack Pierce ’17, Abelson and Baer rounded out the top five among Hamilton runners, taking second, fourth, sixth and eighth place respectively.

Yeo was also pleased with the performance of the first-years, “It was great to see our freshman—[Peter Deweirdt], Henry [Whipple] and Erich [Wohl]—step up in their first collegiate race and run tough against Siena’s lead pack.” This bodes well not only for additional depth this year but also for the future of the program.

Smith won the women’s race, finishing the four-kilometer course in 15:23.2. Placing in Hamilton’s top five were Hanna Jerome ’18,  Lindsay Heyer ’17,  Lilly Pieper ’18  and Banzer, finishing fourth, seventh, eighth and tenth, respectively. Choinski also expressed her happiness with the performance of the first-years, “I’m really proud of all the freshmen for having a great first collegiate race! Awesome job girls!”

The Continentals will compete next at the Saratoga Invitational on Sept. 13. They will look to build on an impressive start and keep competing at a high level.

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