Cross country finishes season strong
The Saint Joseph’s University men’s cross country team made its mark at the 108th IC4A Championships in the five-mile race on Nov. 19, placing second out of the eight teams in the conference. St. Joe’s women’s cross country team placed fourth out of seven teams in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championship. Both races were held at Van Cortlandt Park in Bronx, N.Y.
After placing fifth out of 14 teams at the Atlantic 10 Championship and ninth out of 22 teams at the NCAA Regionals, the men’s team won silver. There were 77 runners in the race and six Hawks finished in the top 25, earning All-East honors.
Senior Jimmy Daniels came in fourth, junior David Dorsey in 11th, junior Collin Crilly in 15th, sophomore Justin Branco in 20th, freshman Josh Clark in 22nd, and junior captain Dan Savage in 23rd. The team ran an average time of 26:25.40, and earned 68 points, coming in second behind Columbia University (21 points).
Men’s Head Coach Mike Glavin said, “our goal going up was second place,” knowing that Columbia would be out of reach and confident that other teams like LaSalle and George Mason would be tough competitors.
“We have some very good runners; we need a killer. We need somebody who’s an attack dog,” Glavin said. Some of this season’s major team leaders were junior David Dorsey, redshirt junior Dan Savage, and senior Jimmy Daniels.
This was Daniels’ last collegiate race and his fourth-place finish led the Hawks to their third IC4A silver medal in the past four years. Along with the championship race, the Coaches’ Race was an explosive win, as St. Joe’s took home gold, silver, and bronze. Sophomore Will Sponaugle, junior Andrew Myers, and sophomore Matthew Mullin-Garcia finished in first, second, and third, respectively.
The women’s team finished with 128 points and an average time of 19:29.60. With 82 runners in the race, junior Cassidy Weimer and sophomore Lindsey Oremus placed eighth and tenth respectively, earning them both All-ECAC honors.
For the women’s team, fourth place matches last year’s team, as the Hawks remain one of the teams to beat in the ECAC Championships. Head Coach Melody O’Reilly said that the team was expecting a third place medal, but unfortunately, two of the team’s top runners were sick and could not race.
O’Reilly explained that losing two of the top four runners “affects the score big time…We finished as strong as we could with the team that we had,” she said.
Senior Maggie Malloy left her legacy with a gold medal in the ECAC Coaches’ Race. Senior captain Sarah Regnault was absent for the race but ended her collegiate career with an impressive season, placing 58th at the NCAA Regionals and 20th at the A-10 Championship.
“I think the biggest thing we can improve on is mastering a little bit of pack running towards the front of the race,” O’Reilly said.
Both teams certainly had strong seasons and left Van Cortlandt Park with pride. The men’s team has a total of six graduating seniors, while the women’s has nine. There will be plenty of room for fresh talent next season, giving the Hawks the opportunity to remain top teams in their conferences.
The conclusion of cross country brings the start of indoor track and field. The opening invitational will be on Dec. 3 at Villanova University.
