Lydia Smith Wins Bruce Bridgeman Invitational, Kats Place 2 in the Top 6
The SUNY Erie cross country team continued its season at the Bruce Bridgeman Invitational, hosted by Finger Lakes Community College. The Kats faced mostly NJCCA programs and got a preview of the Region 3 Championship course.
Lydia Smith won the individual title for the Kats, pulling away from two other athletes in the last half mile. Her winning was time 21:54 for 5k. Madison Baird was also an individual award winner with her 6th place overall finish and time of 24:27.
"The women's race was a great three-runner battle. It was exciting to see Lydia stick with the best runners in the region and close out strong to bring home the win. Mads had her best, most consistent race this season, so you can't ask for more than that."
In the men's 8k race, David Gregoire led the way for the Kats, placing 23rd overall (17th among junior college athletes) in 33:05. Christopher Davis placed 35th overall in 35:17, and Sam Vail completed his first race in a Kats uniform in 60th place.
"The men's field was loaded with good teams, and I thought we ran smart and competed very well," Coach Muldoon continued. "David gave it everything he had out there and got some valuable experience running the 8k distance. We know Chris is capable of more – he's showing it in training, so we just need to put it all together in a race. And Sam really showed his toughness today, especially on a challenging course."
After the first three meets, Coach Muldoon is pleased with the team's improvement. "Things are heading in the right direction. We have some student-athletes running cross country for the first time in years – or ever. Today, we saw progress from everyone, whether it showed up in the results sheet or not."
The cross country team has a week off for competition, then returns to action on Saturday, October 1, at the Mike Woods Invitational hosted by SUNY Geneseo.