Cross-Country Strong at Tufts Invitational

Author: Mike Kirkland

On Saturday, the men's and women's cross country teams traveled to Grafton, Mass., to compete in the Tufts Invitational. The race was a preview of the New England Small College Athletic Conference Championship (NESCAC) meet which will take place next month, in that the Panthers got an opportunity to race on the conference championship course and against many NESCAC rivals. The women, accustomed to the standard 5K format, ran in spectacular fashion on the 6K course. In their first ever race at the 6k distance, the Middlebury ladies finished a close second in the race, behind rival Williams, in a very competitive field. The men were also out to impress, as they put together a remarkable team effort in the 8K race.
Watching the men fly-by, Junior all-star Molly Yazwinski '04 remarked, "I was inspired by the heart and desire displayed by the men out there today. It's clear to me now that they don't mess around."
Yazwinski did little messing around herself, leading the Panthers with a stunning time of 22:42 and sixth place overall on the hilly terrain in Grafton. In a brilliant display of pack running, four of her teammates followed closely behind, occupying the seventh through 10th spots in the race. Jess Manzer '05, Sarah Logan '03, Nora Segar '06 and Marisa Cawley '05 all crossed the finish line in the next 34 seconds, without giving way to an opposing runner. Kelsey Rinehart '06 and Jordan MacClary '05 ran 24:00 and 24:33, respectively, to complete the women's top seven finishers.
The women ran courageously and did so without several key veterans, including co-captains Michela Adrian '03 and Krista Evans '03, and seniors Kaitlin Gregg and Kate Pentkowski, all of whom are battling injury.
In the men's race, the men exhibited a similar pack-running strategy which the women used. First-year phenom Garrot Kuzzy '06 is the exception to this policy as he stormed ahead of the Middlebury men, finishing in a stunning time of 27:07 and 8th place overall. Behind Kuzzy came a pack of three speedy Panthers: Jersey Joe Accordino '06, Jonny Erwin '05 and Marshall Greene '04, all of whom remarkably finished within a second of each other at 27:38 to 27:39. The next six Panthers to cross the finish line all finished within 34 seconds of each other. Nolan Sandygren '06 led the way with a time of 27:59, as he was followed in close pursuit by co-captain and fan favorite Mike Mazzotta '03, Nick Digani '05, Jakub Benes '04, Nat Silverson '04 and Chris Eberly '04.
The men and women will race in the Vermont State Championship Meet this Friday at Saint Michael's College. The teams appear to be getting stronger and more confident as each day passes and should be fired up to represent Middlebury among Vermont's fastest runners come Friday.