Cross country wins Vassar Invitational

Jer Isseks Sports Editor

On Saturday, Sept. 9, both the men’s and women’s cross country teams began their fall seasons in monumental fashion. The men’s team finished well ahead of the competition, taking first place overall at the Vassar Invitational, while the women’s squad squeaked by rival New York University (NYU) to secure a win as well.

For the men, Colin Sanders ’08 notched an 8K time of 28:06, obliterating his 2005 best by nearly two minutes, achieving his first collegiate victory and finishing 36 seconds ahead of teammate Anthony Lucero ’09, who finished second overall.

Andrew Utas ’09, Eric Langhans ’08 and Jamie Anderson ’08 also placed in the top ten, coming in fifth, seventh and tenth, respectively. Zach Lampron ’08 followed closely in twelfth place.

Coach James McCowan was especially pleased with the performances of a trio of freshmen, Danny McBee ’10, Dan Liebowitz ’10 and Ali Jamil ’10, who placed fourteenth, fifteenth, and twentieth, respectively.

On the women’s side, Laura Coogan ’09 stymied the competition with a time of 18:53, the fastest time ever run by a Vassar sophomore on the course. Diana Best ’07 accompanied Coogan in the top ten, finishing eighth. Lisl Esherick ’08 and Alyssa Charney ’10 were not far behind, coming in twelfth and thirteenth, respectively. Mera McGraw ’10 also had a strong showing, as did Leigh McCallen ’07, who regained her strong form of years past.

The Invitational gave McCowan a reason to be optimistic, even after both the men’s and women’s teams graduated a great deal of talent this past spring. Two first place finishes were indicative of a promising returning squad.

The fast times for both of Vassar’s teams are even more impressive when one factors in the conditions under which the races were held. The teams ran the course beneath blazing sunshine and upper-80 degree temperatures. But Sanders, Coogan and the other Vassar runners were unfazed.

McCowan noted that the women’s team was stronger than expected. “The women showed the remarkable depth of the team, and our freshwomen ran surprisingly strong, which helped us tremendously,” McCowan said. “I think we will only get stronger.”

Both teams look to build on the momentum gained from their first races as they travel to NYU this weekend to compete in one of the largest invitationals in the region at Van Courtland Park.