The men’s cross country team entered the Kutztown Invitational on Saturday Sept. 17 expecting to run a lot better than they did last week at Lehigh. The opponents however, would not make this easy on them.
Two of the teams opposing the Rams included Shippensburg and Lock Haven. Both teams with very good reputations and the stats to back it up when it comes to men’s cross country.
“This week should be a good test to see where we stand.” Head coach Andrew Huber said before the race Saturday. “The race this weekend is longer, and will really put our young runners to the test.”
The Rams finished sixth out of six teams, but feel as if they made a big improvement from their event last week. Sean Sebeck led the way for the Rams and finished 24th overall with a time of 27:46. He was followed by Curran Kneebone who finished 27th with a time of 28:00. After him was the Ram’s lead runner from a week ago, Zack Musselman who finished 28th overall with a time of 28:02. Ed Brittingham finished 35th, Jack Barnett 43rd, Jake Perry 46th, Adam Farence 59th and Dylan Eaton 60th.
“We had a spread of 58 seconds between our first five runners,” Huber said. “This is an exceptional stat, and we just need them closer to the front.”
Last week’s top runner, Zack Musselman seems very enthusiastic about this year’s squad. “I think as a team we all get along really well both at practice and just hanging out. We are all looking forward to pushing each other and getting better every day.”
The women’s cross country team was also in Kutztown this weekend and managed fifth place out of six teams. Kristina Koutsouros, West Chester’s top women runner took the week off for some much needed rest on her calf, which has a slight strain. With Kristina out, someone would have to step into the leadership role.
Kathleen Casey, a senior transfer student from Saint Joe’s, was up for the task. She finished 5th overall with a time of 23:55. Brittany Boyer finished 28th with a time of 25:39, Nicole Del Gross ran the course in 26:02 which was good enough for 33rd. Julie Clappsy finished 36th, Trish Evans 37th, Lindsay Reindl 42nd, Cayla Rimkis 44th, Rachel Wynn 45th and Hillary Rights 47th.
Six out of the nine West Chester runners’ were freshman. “Our freshmen women have really stepped up and are racing extremely well. It seems like whenever one has a bad day, there are two more who are able to step up and pick up the slack.” Huber Said about his younger runners.
The overall results this week are impressive as far as improvement goes. Both the Men’s and Women’s teams look forward to promising seasons that will surely be backed up by the confidence and optimism of their head coach, along with the dedication of the runners.
Cross country will return to action Sept. 24 at the LHU River Run in Lock Haven Pa. The full Schedule and details can be found at the West Chester athletic website.
Alex Einhorn is a second year student majoring in writing with a minor in journalism. He can be reached at AE744379@wcupa.edu.