The Plattsburgh State cross country team built upon its initial success with another strong performance last weekend.
At the Potsdam Invitational, both the men and women took 2nd place out of four teams.
Head coach Andrew Krug was pleased with how his team responded to a challenging course and some tough opponents.
“We knew we were walking into a tough course, a course that only a few of our runners knew. Results-wise, we saw some time improvements,” Krug said. “We matched up well against St. Lawrence. I think we gave them a bit of a scare on the women’s side, while we finished second on both the men’s and women’s sides against a St. Lawrence team that is nationally and regionally ranked.”
The women’s side saw four runners finish in the top 10 overall.
The Cardinals saw a healthy mix of rookies and veterans among those finishers.
Freshman Jasmine Roberts was once again PSUC’s first finisher, taking 3rd overall in the race. After her came senior Lindsey Davenport, freshman Mikayla Anderson, and junior Hannah Despres, all of whom also had strong showings in the team’s previous meet.
For Roberts, this string of successful finishes has been a great start at her new school.
“It was really cool, I wasn’t expecting it,” Roberts said. “I’ve had a lot of struggles with running, so it’s just awesome to be on top for once.”
Krug was glad to see Roberts’ success but was also happy to see a strong core of runners forming.
“We have a good strong group up front, and it’s nice that they can be interchangeable,” Krug said.
To finish off the team’s top seven, sophomore Samantha Mosca took 11th overall, freshman Jackie Corbett nabbed 15th, and junior Andrea Cortina finished 18th.
Their success has been rewarded, as the women were ranked 10th overall in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) NCAA Division III Women’s Cross Country Atlantic Regional Rankings on Wednesday.
The Cards joined Geneseo as one of only two SUNY teams to make the rankings.
The men’s side saw some familiar faces in their top seven finishers.
Sophomore Mitchell Marlow was again the top finisher on the men’s side, finishing third overall, while junior Stephen Schnalzer improved on his Cardinal Classic performance with a 9th place finish overall, as the team’s second finisher.
The rest of the men’s top seven was filled out by juniors William Lindau, Matt Jenkins and John Weed, and freshmen Andrew Horan and Timothy Lorenzen.
Krug saw many positives in their times.
“Mitch was up against some top-seed guys, and Steve did not have a strong race in the Cardinal classic, so he bounced back well,” Krug said. “We have more depth than we have had in the last couple years, and that will only improve. We have some strong packs on the men’s side that can work to move up together.”
Roberts and Marlow shared another honor this week, other than being their side’s respective top-finishers.
Both received SUNYAC Cross Country Athlete of the Week honors after their performances. This was the second week in a row that Roberts received those honors.
PSUC now has a weekend off, as their next meet will be Saturday Sept. 23 at the Purple Valley Classic in Williamstown, Mass.
The lack of a meet this weekend will provide the team with some needed time off.
Marlow was excited for a break after putting in some work this week.
“We’ll definitely be getting some good workouts in this week,” Marlow said, on Tuesday. “Then we’ll just get to relax this weekend, and enjoy some time off. Next week, we’ll just be focused on Williams.”
Krug wants the team to take advantage of the break, but also to stay focused as the season turns towards the more difficult races.
“The weekend will be a good chance for them to get some free time, maybe take a trip to Lake Placid or Burlington and just have some downtime,” Krug said. “It’s definitely rest and recovery focused, but also, with our workouts, we’ll be looking to turn up the intensity. William’s will be one of the premier Division III meets this season.”
Email Ben Watson atsports@cardinalpointsonline.com
