BETHLEHEM, PA. - The Monmouth University women's and men's cross country squads posted 11th and 24th place finishes, respectively, at the Paul Short Run hosted by Lehigh University Friday afternoon. The women's squad was led by senior Jennifer Nelson (Barnegat, N.J./Barnegat [Ocean County College]), who took 12th overall, while rookie Khari Bowen (Monroe, N.J./Monroe Township) paced the men's squad with his 19th place effort.
The women's 6k (3.7-mile) race featured 44 schools, while the men's 8k (5-mile) had a field of 46 squads.
"It was not the day we expected," said head coach Joe Compagni. "We learned about what we need to improve on as we move forward in the season."
For the fourth consecutive race, Nelson led the way for the Blue and White, crossing the finish line in 22:16. Junior Amanda Eller (Delmont, N.J./Millville) was the next Hawk to complete the 6k with a time of 23:15, good for 48th, followed by classmate Kelsey Maher (Jackson, N.J./Jackson Memorial) who finished the course in 23:53 in 95th. Two seconds later, Emily MacEwen completed her afternoon, coming in at 97th overall. Senior Juliet Smith (Freedom, Pa./Freedom Area) earned a time of 24:04 while sophomore Mackenzie Roche (Freehold, N.J./Freehold) and Marissa Felicetti (Old Bridge, N.J. (Old Bridge) rounded out the Hawks' top-seven with times of 25:14 and 25:25, respectively.
Bowen was first to finish for MU's men's squad, as the rookie finished in 26:10 followed by senior Dan Collura (Jackson, N.J./Jackson Memorial) who crossed the finish line 1:10 later. Senior Ryan Mulligan (Hazlet, N.J./Raritan) registered a time of 27:28, while junior Jeffrey Ascough (Toms River, N.J./Toms River East) wrapped up his day in 27:36. Senior Garth DeBlasio (Millstone, N.J./Allentown) finished in 27:40 followed by rookie Tommy Darlington (Bethlehem, Pa./Bethlehem), who finished five seconds later. Senior Evan Mydlowski (Hamilton, N.J./Hamilton East) rounded out the Hawks' top-seven with a time of 27:58.
MU will return to action on October 15th as it competes in the Princeton Invitational at West Windsor Fields beginning at 10:30 a.m.
