LONG ISLAND, N.Y. – On Saturday, Pace cross country wrapped up their regular season at the Saint Joseph's Invitational (SJLI) with an outstanding effort from both the men's and women's teams. Highlighting the meet, the women's squad celebrated a first-place finish for the first time in program history.
The women's team excelled at Sunken Meadow State Park capturing first place (81 points) among 12 other schools. On the other hand, the men's team also had a strong effort finishing in seventh place (170 points) among 14 total schools.
In the women's 5K, four Setters finished in the top 20 with
Raelle Gorman leading the way with a time of 21:58:5 (sixth overall).
Meryl Mizell (23:03:6) and
Jasmine Mares-Alvarado (23:10:3) were next in line for the Blue and Gold each posting top 15 finishes.
Inara Coles finished next in 19
th place with an overall time of 24:04:6 which marks a personal best for the freshman.
Emma Voykhanskaya (26:23:1) and
Alexandra Harrison (26:35:8) were the next to cross the line as Harrison earned a career-best time.
Madison Picerno rounded out the women's team with a time of 29:03:9. As a team, the Setters had a total time of 1:58:40 with an average time of 23:44.
In the men's 8K, the Blue and Gold had four runners finish inside the top 40 with
Derek Bustillo in front (23
rd overall) with a time of 31:21:4. Behind the junior, was
Adem Ozkurt (31:35:1),
Richard Christie (32:40:7),
Carlos Zhicay (32:51:8), and
CJ De Feo (33:54:9).
Francesco DiBona finished in 35:17:0 to round out the men's team. Overall, the men's squad posted a 2:42:22 total time with an average of 32:28.
Altogether it was a stellar performance from both teams in the event as Pace cross country looks to carry their momentum into the postseason.
With the regular season in the rearview mirror, Pace cross country turns its attention to the Northeast-10 Conference Championship. The event is set for next Sunday (Oct. 27) from the Hopkinton Fairgrounds course in Hopkinton, N.Y.
