Wheaton cross country squads capture top honors at Saints Invitational

October 12, 2007

BOSTON, MA- The Wheaton College men's and women's cross country teams made their first appearance at the third annual Saints Invitational a memorable one Friday afternoon, as each Lyon squad captured top honors in a meet hosted by Emmanuel College in Franklin Park.

Returning to Franklin Park for the second time in seven days, the men topped the 10-team field with 77 points, outdistancing University of Massachusetts at Boston by 30 points. On the women's side, the Lyons landed four runners in the top 11 en route to 37 points and the fastest team finish among 11 competing squads. Salem State College took second with 53 points.

Junior Amanda Rawson (Dudley, MA/Shepherd Hill Regional) ran away with the women's individual title as she won the 5,000-meter race in 19:29, which was 18 seconds faster than the closest competitor. Sophomore Katie Pratt (Litchfield, CT/Litchfield) was next in line at third with a time of 19:57, freshman Ekaterina Gould (Wayland, MA/Wayland) placed sixth in 20:22, and classmate Christina Nelson (Cranston, RI/Saint Mary Academy-Bay View) ended up 11th in 21:07.

Sophomore Sarah Brand (Cincinnati, OH/Seven Hills School) and senior Jessie Buonaccorsi (Shutesbury, MA/Amherst Regional) were 16th and 18th, respectively, while senior co-captain Mary Ostrander (San Diego, CA/Francis Parker School) took 27th.

Freshman Nick Kacher (Waltham, MA/Waltham) led the Wheaton men for the fourth time in as many meets he has run, covering the 8,000-meter course in 28:33 for an eighth-place finish. Junior co-captain Scott Hafferkamp (Merrimack, NH/Merrimack) came in 13th at 29:06, while sophomore co-captain Miles Souza (Norton, MA/Saint Sebastian's School) took 14th in 29:16 during his season debut.

Junior Dan Libon (Foxboro, MA/Foxboro) and freshman Brandon Waltz (South Thomaston, ME/Rockland District) crossed the line in 18th and 29th place, respectively, while sophomore Andrew Brunhofer (Westfield, NJ/Westfield) rounded out the men's pack in 44th during his first race of the fall.

The Wheaton teams will take the next couple of weeks to prepare for the championships portion of their seasons, beginning with the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) meet on Saturday, October 27 at Smith College.

Men's Team Results: (1) Wheaton 77, (2) UMass-Boston 107, (3) Salem State 109, (4) Lasell 110, (5) Newbury 131, (6) Mitchell 134, (7) Suffolk 142, (8) Emerson 149, (9) Eastern Nazarene 165, (10) Emmanuel 184

Wheaton Individual Results: (8) Nick Kacher 28:33, (13) Scott Hafferkamp 29:06, (14) Miles Souza 29:16, (18) Dan Libon 29:25, (29) Brandon Waltz 30:47, (44) Andrew Brunhofer 32:05

Women's Team Results: (1) Wheaton 37, (2) Salem State 53, (3) UMass-Boston 136, (4) Lasell 138, (5) Emmanuel 140, (6) Lesley 145, (7) Emerson 157, (8) Curry 197, (9) Eastern Nazarene 235, (10) Mount Ida 244

Wheaton Individual Results: (1) Amanda Rawson 19:29, (3) Katie Pratt 19:57, (6) Ekaterina Gould 20:22, (11) Christina Nelson 21:07, (16) Sarah Brand 21:57, (18) Jessie Buonaccorsi 22:09, (27) Mary Ostrander 22:43

Complete Results

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