Cross Country Passes the Competition

Another week brought more great performances from the Panthers. On Saturday, Sept. 29, the men’s and women’s cross country teams took part in both the Paul Short Invitational and the Vermont State Meet.

“We’re preparing to race at Lehigh’s Paul Short Invitational and the Vermont State meet just as we would any other race,” siad Matt D’Aquila ’21 beforehand. “At Lehigh we’re anticipating seeing how we can compete against the best of the best in the NCAA. At Vermont State, guys will not only be gunning for the win, but will also be testing their ability to run hills at a very challenging course. Ultimately, these are just two more races to prepare us in our pursuit for dominance in the championship season.”  

At the Paul Short Invitational, the women recorded 855 points. This placed them at 37 in a field of 41 teams. The top three runners were Rory Kelly ’19, Katie Glew ’21 and Anna Willig ’20. Kelly had a time of 21:58, Glew with 22:40, and Willig with 22:45.  

At the Vermont State Meet, the women placed first in a field of six teams with a score of 32. Abigail Nadler ’19 captured third place with a time of 22:35.1. Chloe Smith ’21 and Olivia Mitchell ’20 came in fifth and sixth place respectively, with times of 22:47.9 and 23:16.3.

“The team was super happy about our performance at Vermont State,” Nadler said. “It was an extremely hilly and tough course but everyone gutted it out for the team.”

At the Paul Short Invitational, 550 points netted the men twentieth place out of a total field of 42 teams. D’Aquila was the top Middlebury runner with a time of 25:22. Next up for the Panthers were Jon Perlman ’19 with a time of 25:38 and Miles Meijer ’19 with a time of 25:50. 

At the Vermont State Meet, the men got first place in a total field of six teams with a score of 15. The men happened to capture the first six places. The top three were Ben Hill ’19 with a time of 29:39.2, Quin McGaugh ’22 with a time of 29:50.6, and Noah Whiting ’22 with a time of 29:59.4.

Even though the NESCAC Championships are looming, the Panthers will have a couple of free weekends and one more meet before then. The Panthers’ next meet will be Saturday, Oct. 13 where they will face off with their competition at the Connecticut College Invitational. 

“Our team is looking really strong going into Conn, and we are looking forward to having next weekend off in order to train and rest,” Nadler said.