The women’s cross country team continued its solid performance this season as its top runners finished 20th at the Pre-National meet in Terre Haute, Ind., while the remainder of the squad stayed in New York, winning the Rochester Invitational.
The Red competed with 36 teams, which included a total of 253 runners at the Pre-National meet. Cornell had two women in the top-100, while all five runners made the top-150. This added up to a 20th-place team finish which was piloted by another exceptional performance by senior Toni-Lynn Salucci, who led the Red with a time of 21:04 and was the 43rd runner across the finish line overall.
She was followed by senior Erin Linehan, who also finshed in the top-100 with a time of 21:31 and came in 74th overall.
“I thought Erin did a great job,” said head coach Lou Duesing. “She worked hard and handled herself well.”
Senior Nyam Kagwima and senior captain Robyn Ellerbrock also handed in strong performances, finishing inside the top-150. Kagwima finished slightly ahead of her teammate and finished 122nd while Ellerbrock finished 123rd.
Sophomore Katie Roll also had a notable performance with a finish inside the top-150 with a time of 22:08 and a 145th overall place.
The Red’s individual performances added up to a total of 507 points for the team, which placed the Red in 19 slots behind winner North Carolina.
“They went out and worked very hard,” Duesing said. “But they were not able to finish as high as they wanted.”
While the top runners didn’t have the finish they hoped for, the rest of the squad had a stellar performance for the Red by winning the Rochester Invitational without having many of its top runners.
“Despite some awful conditions, the team that went to Rochester did a very good job,” Duesing said.
The Red was led by freshman Stephanie Pancoast, who finished second overall with a time of 23:01. The Harriers then dominated the first rush across the finish line, placing six runners in the top-10, including sophomore Danielle Schaub, freshman Kerri Cundy, sophomore Kat Beck, and sophomore Shannon Crane.
“I was proud of our top finisher Stephanie Pancoast,” Duesing said. “I was also proud of all our other runners who had top finishes in Rochester.”
The Red’s six runners in the top-10 accumulated a total of 28 points, which led them to a 22-point victory over runner-up Western Ontario.
“The quality of work throughout the season has been terrific,” Duesing said. “I couldn’t be happier with that part of their performance.”
The women’s cross country team has had a great season so far, notching a victory in its opening meet against Army and a victory at the Buffalo Stampede Invitational.
The harriers look forward to the remainder of their season, which includes their hosting of next weekend’s Reif Memorial Invitational in Ithaca.
Duesing believes that the women need to just keep up the good work and continue their strong effort and commitment that they have maintained throughout the whole season.
“Keep doing what they’re doing. People have the right approach and are doing the right thing,” Duesing said.