CENTER VALLEY, Pa. – The Patriot League’s cross country schedule last weekend had five men’s and four women’s teams competing in events that featured nationally-ranked competition. Highlights included the Navy men competing at the nationally-renowned Roy Griak Invitational in Minneapolis. In Boston, the Coast-to-Coast Battle in Beantown saw both the men’s and women’s teams of Boston University and Lehigh competing. Rounding out the League’s weekend slate, The University of Virginia hosted the Panorama Falls Invitational and included the men’s and women’s teams from Bucknell and Loyola Maryland.
There were many outstanding individual finishes in those events which included Boston University sophomore Paul Luevano finishing seventh overall and Lehigh freshman Brad DeMassa being one of the top freshmen finishers at the Battle in Beantown. At the Panorama Farms invitational, Bucknell senior Christine Bendzinski cruised to another top-10 finish this season, while freshman Ashley Blair was one of the top-15 freshmen runners in the event.
Boston University and Lehigh Men & Women Ran at the Battle in Beantown
Led by sophomore Paul Luevano and junior Alexander Seal, the Boston University men placed fifth-overall out of 18 teams at the Coast-to-Coast Battle in Beantown hosted by Boston College. Lehigh also finished strong in eight-place with a top-25 individual finish by senior Patrick Reilly (21st, 24:47). The event featured three men’s teams ranked in the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Top-30 National Coaches’ Poll with Syracuse (No. 3), Indiana (No. 27), and Illinois (No. 28), finishing the event in first through third respectively.
In the women’s race, Lehigh placed 16th, with Boston University in 20th of the 22-team field. Three of four teams that were ranked in the last week’s national top-30 coaches’ poll also had a one-two-three finish with Providence (No. 7) winning, followed by Indiana (No. 26), and Georgetown (No. 27) in third. The Mountain Hawks were led by sophomore Maura Henderson, who completed the 5K event in 18:01 in 35th place, followed by junior Stacie Nadal in 57th at 18:24. Terriers sophomore Abagail Gugel finished in 75th with a time of 18:37.
Bucknell and Loyola Maryland Men & Women Competed at the Panorama Farms Invitational
At the Panorama Farms Invitational hosted by the University of Virginia last Saturday, the men’s competition saw Bucknell finish in seventh-place and Loyola in 10th. Bucknell was led by a 16th place overall finish by senior Will Bordash, with an 8K time of 25:05.5. With a 27th place finish, Junior Chad Sussman joined Bordash in the top-30, while freshman Connor McMenamin finished in 33rd. Loyola senior Alexander Saffadi led the Greyhounds in 63rd, followed by freshman Brandon Rossi in 68th.
In the women’s 5K race, Bucknell finished in sixth-place overall led by Christine Bendzinski’s ninth-place individual time of 17:47. The Bison had two other runners in the top-30 which included juniors Colleen Buckley in 22nd and Jenna Farmer in 30th. Loyola finished the competition in 11th-place paced by senior Cordelia McGinn, who finished in 49th with a time of 19:04.4.
Navy Men Finish 6th at the Roy Griak Invitational
The Midshipmen, who last week were ranked No. 2 in the USTFCCCA Mid-Atlantic Region Coaches’ Poll, had a strong showing at the 32nd Annual Roy Griak Invitational hosted by the University of Minnesota. Led by senior Josh Hanna, the mids finished in 6th place overall of 15 teams. Sophomore Kevin Murray was eight seconds behind Hanna in 25:50 for a 19th-place finish. The event featured a number of schools that were in the latest USTFCCCA National Coaches’ Poll including No. 18 Colorado State, No. 22 UCLA, and No. 25 Michigan State.
M-F ATHLETE MALE RUNNER OF THE WEEK
Paul Luevano, Boston University, So., Los Angeles, Ca.
Through 5K, Luevano led the entire field before finishing in seventh-place out of 156 runners at the highly competitive Battle in Beantown. His 8K time of 24:25 helped propel the Terriers to a fifth-place overall finish in the meet that featured three nationally-ranked teams in Syracuse (No. 3), Indiana (No. 27), and Illinois (No. 28).
M-F ATHLETE FEMALE RUNNER OF THE WEEK
Christine Bendzinski, Bucknell, Sr., Hebron, Ct.
Bendzinski earned the M-F Athlete Female Runner of the Week for the third time this season by finishing ninth-place overall out of 98 runners at the Panorama Farms Invitational. Bendzinski posted a 5K time of 17:47.
M-F ATHLETE MALE ROOKIE RUNNER OF THE WEEK
Brad DeMassa, Lehigh, Fr., Ridgefield, Conn.
In setting a personal record in the 8K race, DeMassa placed ninth among all freshmen and third overall on the team with a time of 25:35.5 at the Battle in Beantown.
M-F ATHLETE FEMALE ROOKIE RUNNER OF THE WEEK
Ashley Blair, Bucknell, Fr., Selinsgrove, Pa.
With a 5K time of 18:57, Blair had a top-50 finish placing in 47th overall out of the 98 runners at the Panorama Farms Invitational.
HONORABLE MENTION
Will Bordash, Bucknell, Sr., Ridgefield, Ct.
Bordash was Bucknell’s top runner for the third straight event, finishing the 8K Panorama Farms Invitational in 25:05, while finishing 16th out of 90 runners.
Josh Hanna, Navy, Sr.,
In helping Navy to a sixth-place overall finish, Hanna was the team’s top individual performer at the Roy Griak Invitational. His 8K time of 25:42.0 was good for a 15th place finish out of 141 runners.
Connor McMenamin, Bucknell, Fr., Souderton, Pa.
With an 8K time of 25:42, McMenamin was Bucknell’s top freshman finishing the Panorama Farms Invitational in 33rd position. He had the seventh fastest finishing time among the 26 freshmen in the race.
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its third decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes that are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.