DARTMOUTH, Mass. - - Junior runner Richie Mitten paced the Wilmington University men's cross country team to a third place finish at the UMass Dartmouth Cross Country Invitational on Saturday morning, continuing his impressive 2013 campaign.
In the 8k race, only Franklin Pierce and Keene State finished ahead of the Wildcats, as they finished with 77 points for the meet. Wilmington had four runners in the top 11, led by Mitten's sixth place finish. Franklin Pierce finished with 52 points while Keene State finished in second with 66 points.
After leading the team to a victory last week, Mitten was once again ahead of the Wildcat field, finishing with a personal best 8K race in 25:19.63. Sophomore Jesus Amezquita also finished with a personal record, crossing the line in eighth overall in 25:26.85.
Junior Tyler Muse finished 10th overall in an 8K personal best 25:35.67, directly followed by teammate Nathan Parmenter who finished 11th in 25:37.35.
Through the first four runners in the meet, the Wildcats were ahead of Keene State by 13 points, and only trailed Franklin Pierce by a mere six points, but both the Ravens and Owls pulled ahead down the stretch.
The final scorer for the Wildcats was junior Marshall Hawkins who finished 42nd overall with an 8K time of 27:24.17. Junior Matt Mossman placed 57th in 27:49.48 while junior Mike Wright rounded out the Wildcat runners with a time of 29:02.92 and in 102nd place.
On the women's side, the Wildcats placed 19th overall with 535 points, having their top three runners finished inside the top 100 in the 5K.
Running in her first event of the 2013 season, Jeanette Halliburton led the Wildcats with a 74th place finish, crossing the like in 20:47.56. Senior SaraBeth Oppermann wasn't far behind in 81st overall, finishing in 20:56.99.
Tijen Ozcan placed 96th overall in a 6K time of 21:17.01. Sophomore Morgan Ferrick was the 117th runner to cross the line on Saturday, finishing in 21:47.67. Rounding out the Wildcat runners was freshman Jordan Swain after placing 167th in a time of 25:28.00.
Rowan took home the women's 5k event, earning a field low 45 points. Brandeis had the medalist honoree on their side, placing second overall with a score of 51. Keene State rounded out the women's top three teams with a score of 113.
Continuing their string of new events and courses, the Wilmington University cross country teams will head to the Paul Short Invitational on October 5, hosted by Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa., for their next meet.
