Written by: William Paterson
Elizabethtown College’s cross-country teams hosted the 2019 Blue Jay Alumni Challenge last Saturday, Sept. 7 at the Solar Array Course. The morning was buzzing with activity, and the current Blue Jays from the women’s and men’s team brought their A-game. Let’s take a look at the stats.
The women’s team narrowly bested the alumni team, 25-32. The leading group managed to hold together for a majority of the race. But, as the race began drawing to a close, sophomore Melissa Fitzgibbon began to pull away and take the lead. She placed first in the race with a time of 16:31.39 over 4,300 meters. This was Fitzgibbon’s second consecutive top-ten finish in a cross-country race, the first time as a Blue Jay. It’s no surprise that she was named Landmark Women’s XC Athlete of the Week in recognition for her accomplishments.
Junior Kaitlin Donahue finished third with a final time of 17:05.72, while sophomore Hallie Weaver took fourth with the time 17:09.99. However, the alumni staked their own claim in the top four, as 2019 graduate Colleen Kernan took second place with a time of 16:55.72. That was the only slot, as the current Blue Jays took three of the four top spots in the race.
Meanwhile, the current men’s team took all four top spots, with senior Samuel Gerstenbacher winning the race with a time of 15:48.38.Also holding the title of Landmark MXC Athlete of the Week, the champ was the only runner in the race to finish sub 16 minutes.
Seniors Liam Coverdale and Christopher Myers took second and third place respectively. Coverdale ran a time of 16:11.00, and Myers came in just after him in a final time of 16:18.21. Finishing at the number four slot, sophomore Blake Samsel finished with a time of 16:49.67. Leading the pack for the alumni team was graduate Adam Harringer, who took fifth place with a time of 16:50.07.
While the current Blue Jays did take home some personal bests, both teams reminisced while getting the chance to race together again. Etown will be hosting a short course invitational Friday, Sept. 20 at 5:45 p.m. It will be held at Union Canal Tunnel Park in Annville, PA. The events of last Saturday were a showcase of the current teams’ skills and potential threats for the Landmark Conference. This will be a season to watch.
