On Saturday, Sep. 12, the Elizabethtown Blue Jays Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Teams traveled to Big Spring High School to race at the Dickinson Long/Short Invitational. The day would see an incredible performance from both teams, with both taking third overall in the combined scores.
The men’s 8k was the first race of the day. The Blue Jays fielded four athletes, Senior Derek Kendig, Junior Frank Conte, Senior Carson Brooks, and Junior Ryan Williamson. Kendig immediately took off at the start, and quickly took the lead within the first kilometer.
The race promptly strung out, and Kendig fell behind to third place behind Shippensburg and West Chester. Despite his best efforts, he could not close the gap and would finish in third with a time of 25:59, one of only three runners to run faster than 26 minutes on the demanding course. Despite not taking first overall, Kendig was the first Division III finisher.
Conte would follow behind in 26th place and Brooks, the final scorer for the Jays in the 8k, would finish in 42nd.
The men’s 4k would see the top performance of the day from Etown, with Senior Will Inglis quickly taking command of the race. Shortly after crossing the mile mark, he took the lead and did not give it up.
“Before taking the lead I was mainly thinking about the team and the importance of showing up for the other guys. I knew Derek had placed third in the 8k, so winning meant we’d score a combined four points,” Inglis said.
“While passing the runner in first I knew it was my race. As a mid-distance runner I know there are few people who can out kick me. Trusting my legs and training allowed me to increase my gap by about 10 seconds and secure my largest sized cross-country win so far.”
Inglis finished first overall in the 4k with a time of 12:09.3, 10 seconds ahead of the runner-up. Freshman Joshua Henshaw came quickly behind in sixth place with a time of 12:24.9. Sophomore Michael Beach would round out the scoring athletes for the Jays with a time of 13:04.8 in 22nd.
The women’s team also performed well ahead of their projections. Junior Addison Kleinle was the top performer, taking fourth in the women’s 4k with a time of 15:09.9. First-year Katie Jo Gallaher would take 20th overall with a time of 16:26.5, and first-year Hannah Houp would round out the scoring Jays in 37th place.
In the women’s 6k, Senior Keely Fitzgerald lead the way with a 15th place finish and a time of 23:18.7, and fFirst-year Kenzianna Flores followed shortly behind in 18th place in 23:37.8. First-year Lily Ahrens rounded out the top scorers in the 6k finishing in 27th.
The Blue Jays will be back to racing on Saturday, Sep. 26 at Lockhaven.
