Cross Country Runs Strong at Bridgeman Invitational

The SUNY Erie cross country teams continued their 2024 campaign at the Bruce Bridgeman Invitational, hosted by Finger Lakes Community College. With a mix of 11 NJCAA and NCAA programs on the start line, the event provided a valuable early-season preview of the Region 3 Championship course.

The Erie women turned in a competitive team effort, placing 5th in the standings, just one point shy of Herkimer Community College for 4th place.

Emma Palumbo led the Kats with a strong 9th-place finish overall (3rd among NJCAA athletes) in 24:18. Madison Palumbo followed in 25th place with a time of 29:29. Rounding out the team were Erik Blersch (37th, 34:47), Giana Brooks (40th, 36:09), Megan Martinez (41st, 36:31), and Rahaf Altorjman (47th, 42:58).

 

Freshman Lukas Heerdt continued to build early-season momentum, placing 18th overall and 9th among NJCAA runners with a time of 34:35. In his Erie racing debut, Janek McLeod finished in 38th place at 36:45.

 

"This meet is always a good chance to see where we stack up in the Region," said Head Coach Chris Muldoon. "We're a young team. We have runners competing in their first 8k or even their first cross country race ever, so doing it on a challenging course like this is a big learning experience. Today, we had some solid performances, and I'm happy with our progress this early in the season."

The Kats return to action on Saturday, September 27, at the Harry F. Anderson Invitational, hosted by Roberts Wesleyan University.