Men's XC Fourth, Women Fifth, at Gibson Family Invitational
Terre Haute, Ind., October 10, 2009 – The Washington University in St. Louis men’s and women’s cross country teams finished in fourth and fifth place, respectively, at the Gibson Family Invitational, hosted by Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and DePauw University in Terre Haute, Ind. on Saturday morning.
Senior Alex Bearden did his best to pace the men’s team in the 8k race. Bearden finished with a time of 26:11.4, good for fifth place overall, which is just over a 5:10 pace. Fellow senior Alden Black crossed the finish line next for the Bears with a time of 26:43.9, a 19th-place finish. Finishing nearly 20 seconds ahead of every competitor in winning the individual competition was Kevin McCarthy from Wabash.
Finishing 31st and 32nd respectively for the Bears was sophomore Kyle Short and freshman Alex Zasso. Short crossed the finish line at 27:08.3, and Zasso was just behind him at 27:09.1. Next for the Bears was junior Dave Spandorfer at 27:24.9. Rounding out the top six for the Red and Green was freshman Joshua Lewis. The men finished behind Heidelberg, Manchester, and Hope, respectively.
Two Washington University freshmen finished in the top 20 in the women’s 6k race. Bronwyn Bedrick led the way for the squad with a 17th-place finish at 24:02.0. Next up was her classmate Brittany Cronin who clocked in just a second behind at 24:03.6. Each of the two freshmen finished the race at a 6:27 pace. Lauren Reich of Depauw ran by the rest of the field in a time of 22:19.6, more than 35 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher.
Sophomore Erica Jackey crossed the line following Cronin in a time of 24:25.7. Following her was senior Hope Rathnam at 24:37.4. The last Bear in the top 40 was sophomore Elisabeth Stocking who finished in 36th place.
The WU men’s and women’s cross country teams will return to action on Saturday, Oct. 17, when they race in the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Brooks Invitational. The meet, in Oshkosh, Wis., is scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m.