Binghamton University’s cross country teams proved this past weekend that no obstacles could stand in their way of victory.
With a team full of runners coming off an injury-plagued season, the Bearcats couldn’t really tell what would happen in their opener. It turned into a successful start, as the Binghamton cross country team ran all over the Baltimore Metro cross country meet this Friday.
The BU men’s team claimed first place out of the nine teams competing. Junior Chris Gaube led the meet, finishing first ahead of 122 runners on the 5,000-meter course and crossing the line in 15:29.
The Bearcats placed eight runners in the top 10.
BU’s top five runners placed first through fourth and sixth, scoring 16 points, the lowest of the meet.
“Their performances were great for the first meet,” BU head coach Annette Acuff said. “It was a low-key meet, but I was impressed with the team’s efforts.”
Sophomore transfer Erik van Ingen finished second at the meet; following him were sophomore Andrew Ugolino, senior Adam Hill and sophomore Adam Quinn to round out BU’s scoring.
“The guys ran great,” Acuff said. “They ran as a pack, close together, and that’s what you want to see in this type of race.”
Senior Katie Radzik obliterated the course record by 16 seconds to claim first place and lead the BU women’s team to a third place finish out of 11 teams. She finished the 5,000-meter course in 18:03.
“I was really impressed with Katie,” Acuff said. “She broke the course record — definitely was the performance of the meet.”
Following Radzik was senior Jamie Schulte, who claimed eighth and finished in 18:53. Schulte is coming off a slew of injuries along with Radzik, but both appear set to make this a productive season.
“Jamie had a great first meet,” Acuff said. “She broke 19 minutes her first time out.”
Sophomore Ashley Horton, who came off an MVP season as a freshman, placed 12th, while freshman Ryann Cretney and senior Jennifer Hastings completed the scoring for the Bearcats.
The Bearcats look to a more competitive race in two weeks at the Buffalo University Stampede Invitational on Sept. 20.
“We look to be a lot more competitive at Buffalo,” Acuff said. “We’ll see Akron [and] Bucknell, so we can see where we match up with some quality schools.”