Men's Cross Country Caps Season, Finishing 9th at NJCAA Championships
Under brisk conditions, the men's cross country team capped their 2019 season on Saturday, October 26th, at the NJCAA Region 19 Division 3 Cross Country Championships at White Clay State Park in Newark, Delaware.
NEWARK, DE- Under brisk conditions, the men's cross country team capped their 2019 season on Saturday, October 26th, at the NJCAA Region 19 Division 3 Cross Country Championships at White Clay State Park in Newark, Delaware.
The team finished 9th out of 15 total teams represented. This years championship marked the first year since 2016 that UCC has fielded a full team on either the men's or women's side.
Following a one week hiatus from competition due to injury, sophomore Anthony Paterno again led the Owls, finishing the extremely challenging and steep hilled 8,000 meter (5 mile) course in 34:37; bettering his time of 34:50 on the same course from the previous year. Paterno finished in 50th place.
Sophomore Jose Alvarez was second for the Owls (38:43, 70th place) running a tactical race from start to finish. Following closely on the heels of Alvarez was freshman Dillon Dering (39:02, 71st place), who kicked hard to out sprint and overtake two opposing runners in the final 100 meters of the race.
Sophomore Josh Fitts (39:58, 76th place) was fourth for the Owls. Fitts took it out cautiously, and wisely, in the opening two miles, and was able to gain considerable ground on his competitors in the second half of the race.
Freshman Wilfried Dake (40:21, 78th place) took the fifth and final scoring spot for the Owls, turning in a very respectable performance and Sophomore Aaron McGriff (40:32, 79th place) followed closely. McGriff holds the unique distinction of being the only member of either the UCC men's or women's teams to have successfully competed in, and completed, all five meets over the course of the season.