WINTER PLACE PARK, Md. - - Three Top-10 finishes highlighted the Wilmington University cross country teams as they competed at the 35^th Annual Don Cathcart Invitational on Saturday afternoon at Winter Place Park, hosted by Salisbury University.

The men tied their best finish of the year with a second place finish out of 12 teams, scoring 64 points The women also tied their best team finish of the season, finishing fifth overall with 140 points.

The women were the first on the course for the Wildcats, and they were led by Tiffany Banning's fourth place finish, setting a new 6K personal record with a time of 23:26.30. Cassidy Burr improved on her PR time from last week by four seconds, finishing in 23^rd overall with a new personal record of 25:13.50 for 23 points. Kylie Shultz was another Wildcat that set a new collegiate PR, improving upon her time from last week by over 40 seconds by finishing with a time of 26:05.60.

Taylor Burchfield was the fourth Wildcat to finish and score, coming in 42^nd overall with a time of 26:33.80 for 38 points. Sammy Banning rounded out the scoring for the Wildcats with a 45^th place finish, running in 26:32.70 for 41 points. Claudia Rodriguez closed out the Wildcats on the course with a new personal record, improving for a third time already this season with a time of 27:49.10.

The men had a pair of Top 10 finishers, led by Vaughn Lackman who paced the Wildcats with a sixth place finish. He set a new personal record for an 8K course by 20 seconds, running the course in 25:27.80. Trent Taylor was the second Wildcats to finish, placing eighth overall with a time of 26:06.40 for 7 points.

Reigning CACC Rookie of the Week Joel Oquendo was the third Wildcat to cross the finish line, finishing in 16^th place overall for 14 points with a time of 26:58.00. Fellow rookie Carter Sparwasser was right behind Oquendo, finishing 20^th overall with a time of 27:12.30 for 16 points. Zach Souders closed out the scoring for the Wildcats with a 28^th place finish, earning 21 points with a time of 27:59.30.

Joe Volk was the sixth Wildcat to cross the finish line, doing so in 39^th place overall with a time of 28:31.60. Braeden Peterson was the final runner of the Top 7 for the Wildcats with a 43^rd place finish, setting a new personal record by improving for the third straight week on 8K courses, this time with a time of 28:35.50.

Jared Cushlanis set a new personal record with a time of 28:47.20 while placing 47^th overall while Hayward Boutte finished 71^st overall with a time of 30:30.60. Niko Licup set a new PR as well, placing 79^th overall with a new best time of 31:33.50.

Salisbury won each race on Saturday, with the women earning 17 points and the men earning 27 points. They also had the women's individual winner with Alyssa Santoro winning the 6K race with a time of 22:30.60. Stevenson's Hayden Schindler won the men's race with a time of 25:25.30.

The Wildcats have one more regular season meet to prepare for the postseason. They head to the NJIT Highlander Invitational next Saturday to run inside Branch Brook Park in Newark, New Jersey. The women are up first with an opening gun at 12:15 p.m.

Women's 6k TEAM Results:

1 – Salisbury – 17 pts
2 – Stevenson – 95 pts
3 – Alvernia – 106 pts
4 – Mary Washington – 111 pts
5 – Wilmington – 140 pts
6 – Shepherd – 159 pts
7 – St. Mary's (Md.) – 194 pts
8 – District of Columbia – 195 pts
9 – Virginia Wesleyan – 195 pts
10 – Harford CC – 244 pts
11 – Bowie State – 319 pts
12 – Gallaudet – 322 pts
13 – Northern Virginia CC – 343 pts

WilmU's 6K Finishers:

4 – Tiffany Banning – 23:26.30 – 4 pts
23 – Cassidy Burr – 25:13.50 – 23 pts
37 – Kylie Schultz – 26:05.60 – 34 pts
42 – Taylor Burchfield – 26:23.80 – 38 pts
45 – Sammy Banning – 26:32.70 – 41 pts
68 – Claudia Rodriguez – 27:49.10 – 60 pts

Men's 8k TEAM Results:

1 – Salisbury – 27 pts
2 – Wilmington – 64 pts
3 – Mary Washington – 80 pts
4 – Alvernia – 120 pts
5 – Stevenson – 125 pts
6 – Shepherd – 170 pts
7 – St. Mary's (Md.) – 198 pts
8 – Virginia Wesleyan – 232 pts
9 – Bowie State – 240 pts
10 – Howard CC – 306 pts
11 – Gallaudet – 316 pts
12 – DelawareTech CC – 354 pts

WilmU's 8k Finishers:

6 – Vaughn Lackman – 25:27.80 – 6 pts
8 – Trent Taylor – 26:06.40 – 7 pts
16 – Joel Oquendo – 26:58.00 – 14 pts
20 – Carter Sparwasser – 27:12.30 – 16 pts
28 – Zach Souders – 27:59.30 – 21 pts
39 – Joe Volk – 28:31.60 – 30 pts
43 – Braeden Peterson – 28:35.50 – 34 pts
47 – Jared Cushlanis – 28:47.20
71 – Hayward Boutte – 30:30.60
79 – Niko Licup – 31:33.50