On Saturday, Nov. 3, the Geneseo men's and women's cross country teams traveled to Saratoga for the 2007 New York State Collegiate Track Conference Cross Country Championships. Coach Mike Woods' squads would not go home empty handed: both teams outperformed the other 15 schools, en route to a Geneseo sweep.
The women's squad, ranked fourth in the country, turned out a dominating performance. All of the five scoring runners placed in the top 11, while the top seven runners placed in the top 17. The women finished with 31 points, easily outdistancing second place Ithaca, who finished with 88 points.
Junior Liz Montgomery ran away with the individual title, finishing the 5-kilometer course in a time of 16:57; 41 seconds ahead of her nearest competitor.
"Liz Montgomery was absolutely fabulous," Woods said. "She was the first collegiate woman to break 17 minutes on that course."
Senior Meghan Nolan finished fifth for the Knights in a time of 17:59 and junior Laura Iafrati was right behind her, finishing sixth with a time of 18:00. Rounding out the scoring five for the Knights was senior Taryn Hand, who finished eighth with a time of 18:06, and senior Emily Hurley in 11th place with a time of 18:13. Not to be forgotten were sophomores Danni Hunt and Sandra Goettelman, who finished 12th and 17th in times of 18:13 and 18:27 respectively.
The men's squad, ranked 14th in the country, also brought home their fifth consecutive NYSCTC championship. The Knights finished the meet with 56 points, comfortably ahead of St. Lawrence, who finished second with a score of 68.
"The men ran a very smart and controlled race on a tough course," Woods said. "In the last two miles they really fought back."
Senior Nate Lockett was the top finisher for the Knights, placing fifth in a time of 25:36 over 8 kilometers. Freshmen Tom Reubens and Ryan O'Connor finished ninth and 11th in times of 25:43 and 25:47 respectively.
"I always thought my two freshmen were two of the better recruited kids in the conference and they really stepped up," said Woods.
The Knights scoring five was completed with junior Brett Dolan, who placed 14th in a time of 25:55 and junior Will Haskell, who placed 17th with a time of 26:03. Rounding out the top seven for the Knights were sophomores Ryan Mulcahy in 18th and Tim Chichester in 21st, with times of 26:06 and 26:08 respectively.
The Knights will now shift their focus to the NCAA Atlantic Regionals which will take place this weekend at Van Cortlandt Park in New York City. The women will need to place in the top two to advance and the men will need to finish somewhere in the top four. "Both teams have an excellent chance to go to the NCAAs," said Woods.