On Saturday at the Harrier Classic both Mens and Womens Cross Country teams demonstrated their depth and consistency. The men finished third out of 7 teams while the Women finished sixth out of a field of eleven. But those numbers should not be taken too seriously because the Harrier Classic was an open-meet and these student athletes competed against such running academies as the Boston Athletic Association and the Greater Boston Track Club.
For the men, Tim Condon 08 posted the top collegiate time with 26:02 (5:12/mile) over the eight-kilometer course and finished sixth overall. Fellow 08 runner Dan Suher posted the fifth fastest collegiate time and the fifteenth best time in the race with 26:49 (5:22/mile). Matt Phillippo 09 and Clay Lloyd 09 finished eight seconds apart, 28:28 (5:42/mile) and 28:36 (5:44/mile), to finish in 43rd and 47th overall place respectively. Coby Mizrahi 07 finished in 63rd overall place at a personal best 29:41 (5:56/mile) while Adam Curley 07 completed the race fifteen seconds later to grab the 66th overall spot.
For the women, consistent was the easiest way to describe the team effort. Megan Bisceglia 07 posted the 10th fastest collegiate time with 19:52 (6:25/mile) over the 5K course and finished eighteenth overall. Katy Agule 09 continued to impress by capturing the 13th fastest collegiate mark, 21st overall, with a time of 20:04 (6:28/mile). Britta MacFarland 08 finished 29th overall in 20:13 (6:31/mile), Mary Schillinger 08 captured 37th place with 20:24 (6:35/mile), and Emily Terrin 08 grabbed the 41st overall position with 20:35 (6:39/mile). Just behind was Rebecca Happnie 09 who closed in on the 46th overall position with a time of 20:45 (6:42/mile).
Both the men and the women will have a chance to rest this weekend before resuming competition on October 8ths All-New England Open Championships which will be held in Bostons Franklin Park. As someone who has run there before, I warn you cross-country fans to pray for sunshine, for rain will turn the sandy course into a muddy mess.
Editors Note: Some information is courtesy of coolrunning.com, the Brandeis Athletic Page, and Adam Levin. Personal anecdotes were acquired with expressed verbal intent.