September 19, 2013
The Hamilton cross-country team began their season on the right foot this past Saturday with the Hamilton Short Course Invitational. The Continentals competed against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, LeMoyne College and Clarkson University.
The women took second place overall, finishing with 33 points in the four-kilometer route. RPI came out on top with 29, and LeMoyne and Clarkson had with 78 and 88 respectively.
The Continentals finished strong with four runners placing in the top ten. Adrian Walsh ’16 took second place overall with a time of 15:00.9. Samantha Buttrick ’17, Hannah Lyons ’14 and Hannah Kloeckner ’14 also finished in the top 10.
Coach Ellen Hull was pleased with the solid showing, commenting that “this was our opening weekend and the other teams there had already raced once or twice. The team worked hard over the summer and is getting better every week.”
RPI and Clarkson edged out the men’s team, as the Continentals finished third overall with 59 points. Coach Brett Hull noted, “our results were encouraging [because] we held out several top runners that are rehabilitating injuries. They will be in the line-up soon.”
Hamilton had two top 10 finishers: Benjamin Yeo ’15 finished fifth overall, and Adam Pfander ’16 finished first.
Pfander finished with a time of 19:12.6 on the six-kilometer course, fighting at the finish to beat out the second place finisher by two seconds. This is Pfander’s first invitational win and an excellent beginning to his sophomore season.
Coach Brett Hull expressed that “Pfander had close to a two minute improvement in his 6K time over last year. We are excited to see what he will do in the 8000m race”.
Both the women’s and men’s teams have dependable returning runners on their rosters. Five of the men’s top six finishers in 2012 have remained with the team, and six of the women’s top seven finishers have also returned.
Both teams have gained a new batch of talent, with nine first-years who just arrived on the Hill. This positive start and promising roster forecasts another successful season for the cross-country program.
With these strong first-years backing a great group of returing athletes, Coach Ellen Hull remarked “We have a very strong freshman group and a solid returning group, including six top-notch senior leaders that should help create a great mix.”
As the team looks forward to its next few meets, it also looks forward to the return of many runners. Coach Hull says, “A few of our better runners weren’t able to run this weekend, so our team will only get stronger once they are back in the lineup.”
As they move forward in the season, the Continentals look to improve in each of their upcoming invitationals. Barring any future injuries, and with the return of their injured leaders, the team is in a prime position for their next races. With such a short fall season, they feel the pressure each time the gun goes off.
The cross-country team will be attending the Rensselaer Invitational this Friday Sept. 20 at Saratoga Spa State Park. They will be up against some stiff competition, but the Continentals should impress with their talent and drive to succeed.
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