Elizabethtown College’s men’s and women’s cross country teams traveled to Glassboro, New Jersey for the Rowan Inter-Regional Border Battle on Saturday, Oct. 19. Both teams raced well in the event, finishing in the top half of their competition. The women earned a fifth place finish out of 31 competitors with 242 points. For the men, their 395 points was good for 12th place out of 30 teams in the race.
The women’s team opened up the day at 11 a.m. and all five Blue Jays in the event finished in the top 100. Fifth-year Kelty Oaster paced the team with a top 20 finish. Her time of 22 minutes and two seconds gave her a 15th place finish. Senior Maureen Bosak finished just a minute behind Oaster, crossing the line in 23 minutes and two seconds, which was good for 39th place. Sophomore Keely Fitzgerald also found herself inside the top 50. She completed her race in 23 minutes and nine seconds and finished in 47th place. The two other Blue Jay finishers included juniors Gwen Young and Isabell Anderson. The duo both crossed the line inside the 24 minute mark. Young earned a 72nd place finish with a 23 minute and 33 second time and Anderson capped off a strong Blue Jay effort with an 89th place finish in 23 minutes and 59 seconds.
The men’s side saw a similar effort from their team, as most of the runners finished inside the top 100. Senior Daniel Myers’ time of 25 minutes and 39 seconds led the group, and earned him 38th place in the race. Seniors Nolan Pettit and Carson Wiley also claimed top 100 placings. Pettit’s 26 minute 33 second time gave him 88th place, and Wiley finished in 96th with 26 minute and 40 second time. Junior Benjamin Ortiz Jaque followed closely behind with a time of 26 minutes and 57 seconds in 116th place, and junior Martin Ratchford nearly matched his time. He would finish just five tenths of a second behind his teammate, rounding out the Blue Jay competitors in 117th.
These races capped off the cross country regular season. The teams will travel to Lebanon on Saturday, Nov. 2 for the Landmark Conference Championship. The men’s championship event will kick off at 11 p.m. and the women’s event will follow at 12 p.m.
