The cross country team capped off its season last Friday at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Championships. The women’s squad placed 22nd out of 30 teams, while the men finished 25th in a field of 28.
For the men, the meet marked their first 10K race of the season, following a season-long schedule of 8K competitions. Senior Justin Brown led the Leopards, crossing the line in 104th place out of 197 runners (31:55.8). Following behind was fellow senior Cole Chukoskie, who finished 156th (33:17.9). Sophomore Cole Scattergood pulled through not much later, placing 160th (33:25.8).
“I was happy to finish third on the team at leagues and regionals, and glad I could help the team in that way,” Scattergood said.
Sophomore David Whitford was next up for Lafayette College, finishing 169th (33:53.6). Freshman Ethan Buck rounded out the team’s top five, crossing in 175th place (34:13.3). Senior Francis Dougherty was the sixth and last Leopard to find the finish, taking home 178th (34:32.0).
“I’ve grown a lot as a runner so far this year, and we’ve grown so much as a team,” Scattergood said. “I’m excited to see what everyone can do come track season.”
On the women’s side, sophomore Anya Kazemi led the Leopards with an 87th-place finish out of 210 runners in the 6K course (21:50.3).
“I was honestly surprised,” Kazemi said, reflecting on her first time being the top finisher for the Leopards. “Breaking 22 minutes in the 6K for the first time made it extra exciting.”
Clocking in behind Kazemi was junior Ava Severino, who garnered 114th (22:18.3). Senior Liz Borah finished third for Lafayette, taking home 131st (22:35.7).
Freshman Maeve McNamee found the line 145th (22:48.4), while classmate Hazel Calway finished five seconds later for 152nd place (22:53.2). Sophomore Alivia Bear rounded out the squad for the women, placing 179th (23:39.3).
Princeton University earned gold in the women’s race with 56 points, while West Virginia University took home the victory in the men’s competition with a score of 45.
The team will take a brief rest before returning to competition on Dec. 6 for the winter track season.
“We had a great cross country season as a team, and I think if we can carry that momentum into track, it’s going to be really good,” Kazemi said.