Emmitsburg, Md. (September 3, 2021)--The Mount St. Mary's men's and women's cross country teams opened the 2021 season by hosting the Mount St. Mary's 5K Duals on campus on Friday afternoon. On the Mount's new cross country course, the Mountaineers put the first building blocks of their season in place with today's performances.
John Wang had a top 10 finish to pace the Mountaineer men's team while freshman
Michelle Weaver was the Mount's top runner for the women.
Wang, who finished in third place at last year's Northeast Conference championships to earn All-NEC honors, posted a time of 16:27.54 on the five-kilometer course to finish in ninth place in the field of 78 runners.
Colin Kelly was the Mount's second finisher, placing 17th in a time of 16:43.92 while
Andrew Jackson was 19th overall with a time of 16:44.48. Rounding out the Mount's top five runners were
Michael Chipi (28th, 16:57.21) and
Paul Fagnano (31st, 17:03.98).
George Washington took home the team title by going a perfect 5-0 in the dual-match scored event. UMBC was second (4-1), followed by Franklin Pierce (3-2), the Mount (2-3), Catholic (1-4) and Howard (0-5). Franklin Pierce's Wondu Summa finished first overall with a time of 15:52.59.
A freshman, Weaver had a solid debut in a Mount uniform, finishing 20th overall with a time of 20:53.75 on the five-kilometer course as the Mount's top performer.
Mary Campbell was next for the Mount, finishing 25th in a time of 21:18.43. The final three of the Mount's top five finished in a group including
Ellie Dorian (31st, 22:00.71),
Colleen Manley (32nd, 22:05.19) and
Molly Connelly (34th, 22:08.28).
George Washington had the top six finishers at the meet to cruise to the team title with a perfect 6-0 record, followed by Maryland (5-1), UMBC (4-2), Catholic (3-3), the Mount (2-4), Howard (1-5) and Franklin Pierce (0-6). George Washington's Margaret Coogan took home the individual title in a time of 18:33.78.
The Mount is back in action on Saturday, September 11, at the Shannon Henretty Invitational hosted by Stevenson University.
