Men and women’s cross country finish close
Saint Joseph’s University’s men’s and women’s cross country squads each finished second overall in their races at the Rider Invitational on Sept. 15. Both teams finished behind rival Philadelphia school, Temple University, in the standings.
The men’s team was led by graduate student Dan Savage. In his first race of the season, he finished third with a time of 25:01.9, just five seconds behind the first place runner, Marc Steinsberg of Temple.
“I was happy with it,” Savage said of his performance.“I didn’t go into it with too many expectations. It was a good start to the season.”
Men’s head coach Mike Glavin seemed impressed with the team’s race.
“Dan went with it on a breakaway with two kids from Temple,” Glavin said. “About a half mile to go, he [Savage] took over the lead. He tried to press and break to see if he could get the kick out of them.”
Savage wasn’t the only runner who stood out. Senior David Dorsey came in the top 10 with a seventh place finish at 25:13.0. Rounding out the top five performances for the team were sophomore Zach Michon (25:42.4) in 13th place, senior Collin Crilly (25:44.6) in 14th and sophomore John Clark ( 25:46.4) in 15th. Michon and Clark both carried over their success from the previous meet at the College of New Jersey (TCNJ) Blue/Gold Invitational, and Glavin expects them to continue to reach new heights.
“If we ran that race five weeks from now or six weeks from now, I would expect them [Michon and Clark] to be further up with that group,” Glavin said. “As sophomores, they’re gonna have a strength added to how they finish up the season.”
Savage had a few ideas on ways the men could improve and continue their outstanding start.
“Stick as a group more in the beginning and move up together,” he said, adding that place strategy is key. “Other than that, constant training and work.”
As for the women, who finished with a score of 40, junior Lindsey Oremus paced the team with a 23:14.9 time and a sixth place finish. Oremus has now placed first on the team for 15 of the 17 races she has competed in, cementing herself as a leader on the course. However, this race didn’t come easy.
“I was tired,” Oremus said. “It’s still early, so our legs were a bit heavy. It definitely wasn’t a stellar race, but I just tried to mentally stay in it and stay with the top pack.”
The Hawks had runners placed from sixth to 10th, with junior Lucy Harmon (23:24.8) in seventh, sophomore Emily Bracken (23:29.8) in eighth, senior Emily Weimer (23:34.9) in ninth and freshman Sydney Coughlin (23:39.7) in 10th. While five runners in the top 10 is an exceptional result, Oremus stressed that there is still much more work to be done.
“I think this was a tired week for all of us,” she said. “Coach [Melody O’Reilly] was happy with our finish, but I think we could do much better.”
That doesn’t mean Oremus thinks the team isn’t living up to their standards though.
“I think the team as a whole is in a really good spot right now,” Oremus added. “I think we’re really fit and we’re really ready and looking forward to the season.”
The men’s and women’s teams have a weekend off before getting back into the action, splitting up squads for two races. The first will be the Paul Short Run on Sept. 29 at Lehigh University.
The second will be the George Mason Invitational on Sept. 30 at George Mason University. The course used for the George Mason Invitational will be the site for the Atlantic 10 Championship, giving the Hawks a chance to take a first look at their next big opportunity.
