XC Finishes Season

For the first time since 2004, a Cornellian will participate at the men’s NCAA Division I championships. In 2004, Bruce Hyde represented the Red and finished 27th in a field of 242 of the nation’s fastest collegians. Next Monday, senior Sage Canaday will travel to Indiana to participate in the competition hosted by Indiana State University.
“Just being there is an honor,” Canaday said. “I’m definitely thankful that I qualified and that I can be there to represent Cornell, but I’d like to do well to represent Cornell.”
To qualify, Canaday had to finish among the top-4 individual runners not affiliated with one of the top-2 teams at last weekend’s regional meet. He placed third among such candidates and eighth overall to qualify. This Monday, Canaday claims he would be satisfied to finish anywhere in the top-100.
“I’d like to not finish worse than 100th place,” he said. “I guess the ultimate goal I have is to have a really good race, but I’d like to be in the top-50. I’d have to have a really good race, but would be All-American if that happened.”
Before Canaday competes, two of his teammates will be running tomorrow at the IC4A championships in Cortland. Junior Sam Luff and sophomore Steve Soprano will compete in the meet that their head coach Nathan Taylor has made optional for the team.
“Heps and Regionals are the big races and after, it’s kind of a letdown and [most of the runners] are just kind of are ready to end the season,” Luff said.
He went on to explain why he decided to race.
“I feel like I still have more left in the tank,” he said. “I feel like I’ve been improving marginally each race and I feel like I’m in really good shape and I’m ready for a breakthrough. It’s almost more for confidence for next year than anything else.”
On the women’s side, eight of the team’s fastest runners are preparing for one more competition this season. Juniors Aeriel Emig, Marie Parks and Katie Roll, sophomores Kerri Lyons and Stephanie Pancoast, and freshmen Caroline Schultz, Kim Standridge and Katie Sullivan will run for Cornell at tomorrow’s ECACs.
“The team has won ECACs two years in a row and it would be very nice to repeat that,” Roll said.
Like the IC4As, the ECACs do not have as much significance to the team as Heps or Regionals, but the women are still focused on running their best.
“It’s nice because it gives us another opportunity to race at Cortland,” Roll said. “We know the course very, very well and its one last chance for everyone to improve their times.”
“It’s the last meet of the season so I’m sure everyone wants to end it on a good note,” Parks said. “It’s going to be a fun meet.”