On Saturday, October 1, at Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y., the Rensselaer men’s cross country team won their first-ever Liberty League Championship. Victory was achieved by tying defending champions St. Lawrence University with 39 points.
Good things come to those who wait. On Saturday, the men’s top five scorers did not fall victim to St. Lawrence, who usually goes out hard in an effort to break their opponents. The men instead waited for almost three miles before finally making a push toward the front of the pack.
A bystander to the competition would have witnessed a flock of Red Hawks striding with opponents in the middle of the herd. Some coaches start to worry when their runners are not near the front of a pack with over half the race already completed. Distance Head Coach Andrew Weishaar, however, knew that the team was flawlessly executing his pre-race strategy to conserve energy early on and then surprise St. Lawrence when they were tired. Just moments before the gun, Weishaar reminded his anxious harriers, “Remember; you guys are supposed to be the smart kids here. Don’t worry if St. Lawrence goes out fast, you’ll catch them. Let’s run like we’re smart and we can win.”
Freshman Bryan Murphy placed fourth in the race with a personal-best time and was the first Rensselaer runner to cross the finish line. This performance was better than any other freshman present, and gave him Rookie of the Meet honors. Murphy recieved All-Liberty League Honors for placing in the top fourteen while his teammates Chris Donis, Matt Haringa, and Conor Murphy finsihed fifth, seventh, and eighth, respectively.
The women’s team also competed in the Liberty League Championships this weekend. Staying in control and pacing was extra important for the ladies because they were running a 6K race, a kilometer more than the standard 5K course they are accustomed to. Scoring 82 points was good enough for a fifth-place showing, which was very competitive with the second through fourth teams’ results.
Junior Lauren Carter placed second in the race and achieved All-Liberty League status for the second year in a row. Carter led freshman teammate Cathy Malloy across the finish line for a fifth place finish. Malloy also earned All-Liberty League honors and was the female Rookie of the Meet.
After the race, Weishaar was very excited that his runners competed so well for only having an aerobic base. The team is looking forward to racing in a few weeks after they have a solid dosage of speed workouts under their belts. This weekend will not be a competitive one for the cross country team. It will, however, be a good time to get in a hard workout before a final push toward the state and regional races. On October 15 at the University of Albany will be the next time the Red Hawks can be seen in action.
