Seniors Michael Peppy and Libby Benzer paced the Canisius men's and women's cross country teams in the NCAA Cross Country Championships Northeast Regional Friday on the Franklin Park Zoo course in Boston.
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Peppy posted a time of 32:12 on the men's 10k course to finish in 66th place. Junior Tom Appenheimer was just five seconds back of Peppy as he claimed 70th. Andrew Perreault placed 162nd with a race time of 34:11.
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The Canisius men finished 22nd out of 35 teams with a score of 655 points. Syracuse claimed the men's race with a team total of 51 points while Harvard (68 points) placed second to advance to the NCAA Cross Country Championships.
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For the sixth time this season, Benzer paced the Canisius women as she crossed the line in the 6k race with a time of 22:39 to finish in 98th place. Junior Marissa Silba ran the race in 23:25 (152nd) while sophomore Jules Jones completed the course in 24:18 (196th) as both recorded top-200 finishes. Â
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As a team, the women finished in 29th place out of 37 teams, recording a team total of 868 points. Harvard won the women's race with a team total of 71 points while Syracuse placed second with 81 total points as both squads qualified for next week's NCAA Championships.
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Women's Results - 29th place (868 points)
Libby Benzer (22:39) – 98th
Marissa Silba (23:25) – 152nd
Jules Jones (24:18) – 196th
Taylor Heschke (24:47) – 210th
Olivia Moran (24:48) – 212th
Leah Wardner (24:57) – 216th
Chloe Breen (25:13) – 222nd
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Men's Results – 22nd place (655 points)
Michael Peppy (32:12) – 66th
Tom Appenheimer (32:17) – 70th
Andrew Perreault (34:11) – 162nd
Turner Dirrigl (34:14) – 165th
Royce Breslawski (35:10) – 192nd
Richard Moore (35:23) – 197th
Ronan McDonald (35:29) – 199th
Head Coach Nate Huckle's Postrace Comments
"This was a great opportunity for our program to cap a strong season. The NCAA Regional meet is one of the most prestigious races in the country and this year it took place on one of the most storied courses on the East Coast. Â
"From start to finish, our student-athletes gave us everything they had in the adverse conditions. I couldn't be more proud of our teams and efforts they put into this season and this race.Â
"For me personally, this was an emotional day. Looking back on the last 10 years of my coaching career and looking forward to my transition into a new role at Canisius, I feel grateful. I cherish the relationships with student-athletes, parents and peers that I have developed and I realize that we have something truly special at Canisius College."
