Cross Country Dominates at Aldrich Invitational

The men’s and women’s cross country teams continued their excellent start to the season as they showed their dominance at the Aldrich Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 16.  Both teams placed in first; the men won with a score of 17, while the women won with a score of 18.

On the Panthers’ performance, Rory Kelly ’19 said, “Both the women's and men's teams ran really well at Aldrich. It was a big day because it was the first-years' first races for Midd, and we also had a lot of alumni come back to campus for the race. Despite the heat, everyone put out great efforts and it was a good day to build off of as the season continues.”

For the women’s race, Middlebury came in first place, University of Vermont came in second, and Saint Michael’s College came in third. Rory Kelly ’19, Katie Glew ’21, and Cassie Kearney ’22 were able to finish in the top three, with the times of 19:30.9, 19:39.5, and 19.53.1, respectively.  The women also captured six of the first nine places with Phoebe Colvin Oehmig ’21 coming in fifth, Claire Gomba ’19 coming in seventh, and Tate Serletti ’20 coming in eighth.

For the men’s race, Middlebury also finished first, and were followed by Vermont and Norwich. Incredibly, the Panthers were able to capture the top three finishes.  Harrison Knowlton ’19 came in first with a time of 26:29.0, Miles Meijer ’19 came in second with a time of 26:31.0, and Matt D’Aquila ’21 placed third with a time of 26:37.6. Overall, the cross country team finished with seven runners in the top ten. The other members in that top ten were Henry Fleming ’20, Zander Kessler ’22, Theo Henderson ’19, and Thomas Tarantino ’21.  

Meijer is excited about the team’s prospects this season, and holds high expectations. “This is one of the best teams that we've had in a while, top to bottom, so our goals definitely reflect that,” said Meijer. “We would like to place well at the NESCAC, regional, and national championships. It's exciting to think about what this team is capable of.”

The Panthers will have another opportunity next week at the Purple Valley Classic to continue their momentum, and move closer toward their ultimate goal of reaching NESCACs.  The Purple Valley Classic will be an away meet taking place on Saturday, Sept. 22.

“For next week's race, we are looking forward to getting to race with strong competitors” said Kelly ’19.  “One of our main focus points as a team is the mental game of running, so in addition to the typical running training, we will be working on getting our minds ready, too.”