Category: Cross Country

Thomas Walter

Senior Writer

The Orange and Blue outran three Patriot League competitors on Oct. 19, as the team competed in the Leopard Invitational. In their final race before the Patriot Leagues, the Bison finished third behind American and Cortland State as Michael McGowan ’15 continued his stellar semester, leading the team by finishing inside the top 10.

“Considering we went out pretty slow, I thought we ran a good race. We ran in a strong pack, but the team was generally conservative throughout the day,” McGowan said.

In an effort to learn the course, which will serve as the site of the Patriot League Championship, the team had an extended cool down after the race and ran the course again. This extra studying will be only one part of its strategy, as the team seeks a balanced performance in order to contend at the championship.

“Our top guys are most likely going to be at the top of the race. What makes a team good is their depth so we hope to get really strong performances from our three, four, and five guys,” McGowan said. “If they can get it done, and everyone has a strong day, we can challenge for first. I think top three is a very realistic goal.”

This season, McGowan earned Patriot League Male Runner of the Week, an Honorable Mention for Patriot League Runner of the Week, and Bison Athlete of the Week.  Perhaps that is why he has set himself some lofty goals for the Patriot League Championship. 

“My individual expectation is to be First-Team All League. I think on an off-day I still should be All League, but you can’t control how other people run,” McGowan said. “My preparation is going to make sure to take my runs easy. I need to be recovering and ready to go in two weeks.”

McGowan and the team’s season will come to a head at the Patriot League Championship on Nov. 2 at Lafayette.

Thomas Walter

Senior Writer 

Men’s XC face tough top 25 competition

The men’s cross country team ran two meets this past weekend, travelling to Boston for the Boston College Coast to Coast on Sept. 27 and facing Bloomsburg on Sept. 28. Racing against some of the top teams in the country, the men’s cross country team finished ninth in the Coast to Coast before defeating Bloomsburg the next day.

Michael McGowan ’15 won the Patriot League Male Runner of the Week, which marks his second award in the last three weeks.

“I have been working real hard in practice. Everyday has a goal whether it is run easy, hard, or recover, and I try to do my best to follow my routine,” McGowan said.

The Bison raced against four of the top 25 teams in the country in the Coast to Coast Battle. No. 12 Oregon won the race and No. 9 Syracuse finished in second. McGowan turned in the best effort for the Bison, finishing 38th out of 140 total competitors. Despite the extreme competition, McGowan insisted the team was not intimidated by the competition.

“The biggest difference is the amount of depth and the fact that these teams can give scholarships. The recruits they bring in are top notch or from overseas. But none of our guys were intimidated,” McGowan said. “The team was very pumped to run against those teams. It isn’t often you get a chance to run in a field that talented.”

Injuries left the team incredibly shorthanded this past weekend.

“We actually didn’t even run some of our top guys because of injury. We actually had a very bad meet at Boston,” McGowan said.  “Everyone was tired from a very hard week of training the week before, and no one was fully recovered.

The rest of the Bison squad ran well to defeat Bloomsburg. The Orange and the Blue turned in the three fastest times during the event. Dylan Cowell ’15 took first place in 27:45, with Luke Giugliano ’17 and Jonathan Tewodros ’17 finishing seconds later in 27:48.5 and 28:02.6, respectively.

The men’s cross country team returns to action tomorrow at the Paul Short Invitational in Bethlehem, Pa.

Thomas Walter

Senior Writer

The friendly competition between Michael McGowan ’15 and John Dugan ’15 continues to push the men’s cross country team towards success. Dugan and McGowan both finished inside the top three, as the Orange and the Blue finished first in Penn State’s Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational on Sept. 13.

The Bison finished six points ahead of Penn State to capture the title. Both Dugan and McGowan were pleased with the team’s strong performance against stiffer competition in the second meet of the season.

“We were facing some better competition this week, so it was a good opportunity to test ourselves,” Dugan said. “We were excited to come out with a win, but there were some things we could do better.”

“Even though Penn State held out one of their best runners, it was a strong showing for us. I think we improved on a lot of things we did wrong last week. There was some good pack running this week,” McGowan said.

McGowan ran the 5.2-mile race in 26:03. He has been the fastest Bison runner in the first two meets of the season; a feat that earned him Bison Athlete of the Week on Sept. 16.

“I think it is pretty cool that I had best athletic performance of all fall sports this past week. I feel honored because cross country is not one of the most recognized sports on campus,” McGowan said.

Dugan, who was only eight seconds behind his teammate, finished third overall in the race. Both teammates agree that training with one another helps tremendously.

“I think running with Michael everyday is great for both of us. We get to work out and train together every practice. When we run together we’re very confident we can compete against whomever,” Dugan said.

The Orange and the Blue have gotten off to a strong start. While the team ran better this week, the two friends are still looking for the entire team to continue working on running well in a pack in addition to overall more consistent running in meets.

“I like where we are at right now and I think if we can stay healthy, which was a big problem for us last year, then we will be in good position if we continue to work hard and take care of business like we’re supposed to,” Dugan said.

The Bison return to action when the team travels to Boston to run in the Boston College Coast to Coast on Sept. 27. They will also compete in the Bloomsburg Invitational on Sept. 28.

Thomas Walter

Senior Writer

The Bison Open started and ended before any real competition could emerge for the Orange and Blue as Michael McGowan ’15 and John Dugan ’15 led the team to an easy win in the first meet of the year on home turf. The Bison finished the three-mile race with runners in the top nine positions.

McGowan finished in 14:42 and Dugan followed, finishing in 14:49.

“Last year I was injured so I didn’t live up to any of my expectations,” McGowan said.  “My individual expectations are First Team All-Patriot League and then to compete for a spot at NCAA regional. The win this past weekend was an important way to start the season.”

McGowan knows that he will have to run against teammate Dugan before the season ends.  Dugan, who finished second last weekend, competed for a spot at Nationals last season. He will be a good teammate for McGowan to compete with and measure himself against throughout the season.

As happy as McGowan was with his individual performance, he and the team realize it was an easy start to the season. The race was a mere 5k compared to the typical 8k or 10k runs that determine the success of season.

“When it comes to 8k and 10k you have to be used to running tired, but I think we need to learn how to run in packs better,” McGowan said. “Some of the guys who run shorter distances need to become more comfortable running the longer races in order for us to succeed.”

The Bison will travel to Penn State to run in the Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational on Sept. 13.

Billy Tyler
Contributing Writer

The men’s cross country team capped off its season with a solid performance at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships hosted by Penn State on Nov. 9. Working through the loss of several key team members due to injury, the Bison finished the event in 13th place out of the 25 team field.

The Bison were once again led by John Dugan ’15, who has consistently been one of the team’s top performers throughout the season. Dugan finished the 10-kilometer race in a time of 30:57, placing him first on the team and 20th overall. This solid performance earned Dugan All-Region honors. Andrew Garcia-Garrison ’15 was the second Bison to cross the finish line, with a time of 31:31 and a 47th place finish.

“[Dugan] ran great all season and really led the team in every workout, and that really showed and paid off with his all-region selection,” Garcia-Garrison said. “It was my first 10k, so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was happy with my time and place.”

In addition to Dugan and Garcia-Garrison, several other members of the Bison ran strong races at regionals. Finishing closely behind Garcia-Garrison, in third place for the team, was Charles Seigneur ’13, who posted his best performance ever in his final race in his collegiate career with a time of 32:09 and a position of 63rd place.

“Having my last and also best ever race at the NCAA Regionals was a great way to top off what has been a successful breakout senior season,” Seigneur said.

Also scoring for the Bison were David Strauss ’14, who finished in 98th place with a time of 32:47, and Eric Balaban ’14, who finished in 101st place with a time of 32:54.

Georgetown won the event with an overall score of 56, besting second-place Villanova by just one point. The top individual finisher was Travis Mahoney of Temple, who finished with a time of 30:23.85.

Overall, the runners and head coach Kevin Donner were pleased by the team’s performance at the NCAA Regionals and in the season in general. The young team also has high hopes for the future and is optimistic about the team’s chances in upcoming seasons.

Billy Tyler

Contributing Writer

The men’s cross country team went into the Patriot League Championships in Hamilton, N.Y. with high expectations after a good week of training prior to the event. Unfortunately, the team was unable to perform up to its expectations, finishing fifth out of eight teams for a second consecutive season.

The Bison were led at the meet by John Dugan ’15 who finished the eight-kilometer course with a time of 25:39.4, placing him in third overall and first of the non-seniors in the field. It also earned Dugan First Team All-Patriot League honors. He earned the same last year with a 13th place finish at the league meet, making him the first member of the Orange and the Blue since 2007 to earn All-League honors in back-to-back seasons.

“[Dugan’s] third place finish is the highest since 2006 when Matt Forys ’07 finished third and qualified for nationals two weeks later,” head coach Kevin Donner said.

Dugan was not the only Bison contributing to the team’s effort on Oct. 27. Robert Yamnicky ’13 also provided a strong performance, finishing the race in 21st place with a time of 26:18.3. Yamnicky improved tremendously from his performance last year at league championships where he finished in 73rd place.

“Yamnicky ran very well at the PLC and has had some great training, and I know he will have a strong race at regionals as well,” Dugan said.

Other runners who scored for the Bison include: Charles Seigneur ’13 (34th place), Michael McGowan ’15 (35th) and Andrew Garcia-Garrison ’15 (37th). Some of the disappointment for the Bison was the result of injuries to several key members of the team.

“We had three major injuries to three key people two weeks ago and this really affected our front pack,” Donner said.

The Orange and the Blue will now attempt to put this event behind them as they prepare for their final race of the season, the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships on Nov. 9.

“We are certainly disappointed with the result,” Dugan said. “However, it is something that we are moving on from and we are looking towards the NCAA Regional Championships at Penn State in two weeks.”

Alex Wagner
Sports Editor

The men’s cross country team got their season off to a very strong start, as they finished one-two-three at the Bison Open and fifth overall at the Harry Lang invitational.

On Aug. 31, Glen Williams ’15 ran to his first career win in the Bison Open, finishing the three-mile course in 15:09, 15 seconds ahead of the nearest competitor. That nearest competitor was his teammate, Robert Yamnicky ’13, who finished in 15:24. Brian Charland ’13 was not far behind, finishing in 15:28 and completing the sweep of the top three positions for the Orange and Blue.

“Although it was very hot out, most of the team put up great times. We held 13 of our runners out of the race and we still easily dominated the competition, which really shows the depth we have this year,” Williams said.

Just a day later, much of the team travelled to Colgate for the Harry Lang Invitational, where the men’s team earned a respectable fifth place finish. John Dugan ’15 was the top finisher for the Bison, finishing the 6,400-meters in 20:41 and in 15th place. He was followed by D.J. Krystek ’13, who finished in 18th place with a time of 20:46.

“We had a pretty intense week of training leading up to the races, and to come out with a solid performance is exciting … Colgate is a challenging course and I think we gained an advantage by experiencing the course in a race setting and seeing some of the teams we will race at leagues,” Krystek .

The rest of the scoring five for the Bison consisted of Andrew Kuchta ’16 in 32nd place (21:18), Charles Seigneur ’13 in 34th (21:20) and Tyler Erhard ’14 in 40th (21:27).

“Being the first meet of the year and coming off a very hard training week, I wasn’t as concerned about the final results as I will be later in the year. I was more concerned about  getting to know the Patriot League Championship course and giving a solid effort, even with tired legs … If we can get our number three-four-five runners to close the gap on Dugan and Krystek, then we will be a very good team,” head coach Kevin Donner said.

The Bison will run again this Saturday in the Running Fit-Detroit Titan Invitational in Northville, Mich.