On Saturday, Oct. 13, the Geneseo cross country squads traveled to the University of Rochester Invitational meet in preparation for the SUNYAC championship this weekend.
Coach Mike Woods decided to rest his top 10 runners from each team and let the rest of the squad use it as a chance to make it into the SUNYAC competition.
The women's squad, ranked fourth in the country for Division III schools, placed fourth out of 15 competitors. Western Ontario University dominated the meet, placing six out of the top ten runners. They ended up with 17 points followed by the Cornell University "B" team and Allegheny College. Sophomore Erin Marks led the way for the Knights, placing 15th overall with a time of 19:27, a performance Woods called one of her best this season.
Sophomore Amy Williams was 24th in 19:48 and teammate Lauren Ferrimani, also a sophomore, was close behind her, entering the chute in 26th with a time of 19:54. Junior Mary McGrath was 28th in 19:58 and fellow junior Lisa Halloran placed 35th in 20:07 to complete the scoring five for Geneseo.
The men's squad, ranked 16th in the country, managed a sixth place finish out of 13 teams while competing without their top runners. It was a fast and competitive meet, as the top 15 runners all finished within a minute of each other.
Allegheny College easily won the 8K race with a score of 28 points, placing four runners in the top ten, followed by Western Ontario in second with 52 points. Mansfield University came in third with 86 points.
The Knights didn't have a runner finish until junior Ben DeGeorge and sophomore Pat Malone both finished in 27:04 for 31st and 32nd place overall. The rest of the scoring five were close behind as senior Eugene Peterson and sophomore Bobby Henchen passed through the chute in 27:20 for 37th and 38th place respectively. Sophomore Josh Kneer rounded out the top five in 39th place, finishing in 27:22.
On Saturday, both teams will travel to SUNY Potsdam for the SUNYAC championship meet. The women's squad will try to extend their streak to eight consecutive SUNYAC crowns, although they will have to face league rival Plattsburgh.
"They're definitely going to be the main competition, Geneseo and Plattsburgh are just a level above the rest of the field," Woods said.
The men's team will face stiff competition from last year's winner, SUNY Cortland.