Danny McCartney ‘28
Staff Writer
This past Saturday, September 21, the Holy Cross men’s and women’s Cross Country teams hit the road again for the UMass Dartmouth Invitational in North Dartmouth, Massachusetts. The meet showcased a regional battle against the likes of Boston University, Northeastern, Brown, UMass Lowell, Rhode Island, and WPI.
On the men’s side, the Crusaders were once again paced by freshman Joey Ryan (Lexington, MA) with his 10th place (25:14.36) finish over eight kilometers. Ryan’s strong performance marks the second week in a row that he has led the Crusaders squad up front this fall. Not far behind, sophomore Joseph Mahon (Woburn, MA) came through in 13th (25:19.44), while senior William Schimitsch (Little Neck, NY) rounded out the Crusaders’ strong top 3 pack with a 16th place (25:24.67) finish. Less than eleven seconds separated the finishing times of the three Crusaders in the top 20. Junior Liam Lyons came across the finish line in 60th (26:10.97), while sophomore Quinn Salmon, freshman Robert Foster, and senior Michael Cahill crossed in 115th (26:59.29), 116th (26:59.48), and 139th (27:21.45) respectively, rounding out the Crusader Men’s top 7. Meanwhile, the “JV” section played host to 3 Crusader Men. Over eight kilometers, Freshman Lewis O’Connor finished 49th (27:36.61), senior Samuel Baker placed 62nd (27:50.94), and freshman Jack Larkin placed 77th (28:09.57) to finish the day for the Crusader men. The team placed an impressive 6th place among the 44-team field; the Boston University Terriers won the meet in dominating fashion.
The women followed their fifth place finish at the Shawn M. Nassaney Invitational with another strong showing this past Saturday. Over the five-kilometer course, senior Abby Hughes (Windham, NH) led the Crusaders with a 45th-place (19:03.04) finish. The top-7 were rounded out by junior Abby Granrath in 56th (19:17.21), freshman Shannon Kelly in 66th (19:26.42), freshman Anna Stolarick in 75th (19:31.27), junior Meryl Sullivan in 77th (19:32.39), senior Caroline Gage in 103rd (19:49.81), junior Lauren Hughes in 106th (19:50.58), and freshman Chloe Dibb in 147th (20:24.84). The women wrapped up the day ninth overall among the 45-team field; Brown University took home the win.
After three weeks of competition in Massachusetts and neighboring Rhode Island, the Holy Cross men and women begin a stretch of out-of-state competition as they head toward the postseason.
Next, both the men and women head to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania for the Historic Paul Short Invitational hosted by Lehigh University on October 5. The Paul Short Invite annually plays host to top teams in the northeastern United States. This year, the event hosts University of Pennsylvania women — regionally ranked by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. Paul Short, commemorating its 50th year, has historically lent itself to fast times and quality competition, both of which the Crusaders hope to take advantage of before heading to Hopkinton, NH for the New England Cross Country Championships on October 12.
The New England Cross Country Championships will take place at the Hopkinton Fair Ground, the same site as the 2024 NCAA Northeast Cross Country Regional taking place in November. The Holy Cross men’s and women’s teams hope to improve on their seventh and ninth place finishes in 2023, respectively.
On October 25, the Crusaders head to Stanley Quarter Park in New Britain, CT for one last regular season meet. The Central Connecticut Mini Meet, hosted by Central Connecticut State University, will serve as one more competition before the postseason arrives at the Patriot League Championships hosted by Lafayette College on November 2.
Image courtesy of Patriot League
Copy Edited by Caroline Kramer ’26
Web Edited by Zexuan Qu ’28
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