The Canisius College cross country team competed at the Paul Short Run on Saturday. The men finished fourth and the women finished 22nd overall.
Sophomore Cooper Roach finished fourth overall, his third top-10 finish in as many races this season. Roach completed the 8k course in 25:20 on an unseasonably warm day in Bethlehem, Pa.
Three freshmen and two sophomores made up the Griffs' scoring with freshmen Jeff Antolos (26:06) and Brennan Root (26:08) finishing 32nd and 33rd respectively. Sophomore Michael Anvelt was the fourth Griff in the top-50, taking 44th overall with a time of 26:23. Freshman Xavier Sauvageau rounded out the top-five placing 57th overall.
“Cooper was the front runner we needed today,” said head coach Nate Huckle. “ He kept us competitive with the top teams in the race and gave us a real shot at the win. We just need to tighten our gap between the first and fifth runners on the men's side. Once our freshman gain more experience we will be ready for the championship season.”
Princeton took the top-spot in the race, with five runners in the top-15.
On the women's side the Griffs' took 22nd in the race, with senior Mikelle Cala finishing first for the Griffs in 23:04. It was the second year in a row Cala took the top spot for Canisius.
Senior Jamie Wallace, freshman Haley Keene, junior Morgan Atkins and sophomore Mary Kate Chambers rounded out the Griffs' top five.
“The women improved upon last year's finish, but 22nd is nowhere near our potential right now,” Huckle said. “The temperature at race time was over 80 degrees and several of our women succumbed to the conditions. Had all our runners been able to finish where they were at 5k, we would have scored 200 to 250 points less. That would have put us right up in the top-10.”
Senior Catherine Phillips and sophomores Celine Eppolito and Robin Wagner, were those in scoring positions for the Griffs that were unable to finish due to the heat. The event cancelled the evening portion of the races due to the weather.
Canisius will return to action on Saturday, Oct. 19 for the inaugural Canisius Alumni Classic.
