Men’s and women’s cross country travelled to Wisconsin this weekend to compete in the Wisconsin Adidas Invitational, hosted by the University of Wisconsin at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course.
The Light Blue men finished the 8K race in 18th place out of 39 teams competing, with a total time of 2:03:55. The Lions faced tough competition and finished ahead of nine teams who were ranked in the latest NCAA Division I Coaches’ Poll, including five teams who were in the top 30. Columbia was ranked 18th in the poll.
The men received an outstanding performance from senior Kyle Merber who finished the race in 24:27, good for 44th overall out of the 270 runners. Junior Mike Murphy finished in 24:42, which ranked him in the top 100 overall. Only 36 seconds separated Merber from the Lions fifth-ranked runner, who finished in 25:03.
The Light Blue women finished their 6K race in 27th place out of 44 teams competing. The women finished with a total time of 1:47:03.
Junior Caroline McDonough led the women, finishing 52nd overall with a total time of 20:57. Waverly Neer, the only freshman running for the women, stood out finishing in 21:07—10 seconds behind McDonough and good for 72th overall.
This weekend the Lions also ran in the Princeton Invitational, where the men finished in sixth and the women finished in seventh. Freshman Daniel Everett and senior Gary Brownell led the men finishing in seventh and 13th place, respectively. Sophomore Chelsea Carrick led the women finishing in 19th place.
Both the men’s and women’s cross country teams next compete in the 2011 Ivy League Heptagonal Championships in Princeton, N.J. on Oct. 29.
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