The Elizabethtown College cross country teams had the penultimate meet of their seasons on Saturday, Oct. 7 at 11 a.m. and 12 p.m. The men’s and women’s teams traveled to Newville, Pa. for the Dickinson Pre-Nationals Meet. The men’s team put up 699 total points by the end of the day, good for 23rd place out of the 38 competitors in their event, and the women’s finished with 707 points, which was good for 25th place of the 38 competing teams.
For the men’s team, it was graduate student Matt Fick who would lead the way for the Blue Jays. In the 8,000-meter race, his strong time of 26 minutes and 25.6 seconds was good enough for 104th place on the final leaderboard. Senior Brandon Baxter was the second-highest placing Blue Jay on Saturday, and he came very close to breaking the 27-minute mark. He placed 163rd with a time of 27 minutes and 0.2 seconds.
The three other Blue Jays to set a time in this one were junior Daniel Myers, first-year Derek Kendig and junior Nolan Pettit. Myers notched a 170th place finish with a time of 27 minutes and 8.6 seconds, Kendig came in at 27 minutes and 17.8 seconds, good for 182nd and Pettit finished 209th at 27 minutes and 32.6 seconds.
The men’s team will travel to Annville, Pa. for the Lebanon Valley College (LVC) Last Chance meet on Friday, Oct. 20 at 5:15 p.m. This will be the last regular season meet before the Landmark Conference Cross Country Championships.
The women’s team had a couple of impressive finishes on Saturday in their 6,000-meter event and senior Kelty Oaster headlined the group with a top-20 placing on the final leaderboard. Oaster continued to perform well and set a personal record that day, as she earned a 19th place finish with a blazing time of 22 minutes and 32.5 seconds. Junior Amanda Kauffman also placed inside the top 150, finishing 142nd. Her 24 minute and 12 second time was the second-best time for the Blue Jays.
Three other Blue Jays placed in this event, and one recorded a personal best. Sophomore Isabell Anderson was 228th, timing at 25 minutes and 27.2 seconds. Graduate student Bridget Kennedy and junior Isabelle Smith placed 231st and 244th respectively. Kennedy crossed the line in 25 minutes and 32.2 seconds, and Smith completed her race in 25 minutes and 46.2 seconds.
The women’s team will also make their way to Annville, Pa. on Friday, Oct. 20 for the LVC Last Chance meet at 4:30 p.m. This will be the team’s last chance to prove themselves this regular season, as the Landmark Conference Cross Country Championships are fast approaching. Good luck to all members of the Etown cross country teams as they will look to wrap up their seasons strong.
