The AU men's cross country team won its fourth consecutive PL title Saturday in Bethlehem, Pa., finishing 49 points ahead of second place finisher Army. The AU men boasted the top two finishers in the 8,000-meter race, Steve Hallinan and Brendan Fennell.
Meanwhile, the women's team took fourth, behind Bucknell, Army and Lehigh, boasted individual winner, senior Keira Carlstrom. The All-American took the 6,000-meter race by more than 30 seconds with a time of 20:19, winning the individual title for the third straight year and ending her PL career as perhaps the most dominant runner in league history.
"Honestly, it doesn't make that much of a difference being a favorite or not." Carlstrom said. "I guess in a way, it takes some pressure off - but either way I needed to show up prepared to run my race. I practiced strategies I normally wouldn't try and I used this race to prepare myself for Regionals and Nationals."
Joining Carlstrom towards the top of the leaderboard was co-captain and fellow senior Zaia Wharton, who finished in eighth with a time of 21:46, securing All-Patriot League second team honors. Saturday marked the final time Wharton and Carlstrom, who have led a change in AU's program, will run together in PL competition.
"[Zaia and I] have seen our team go through so many phases and it was a lot of fun for us to be able to pass on what we have learned to the younger girls," Carlstrom said. "We are both blessed to have such a great team to share all these experiences with."
While the women enjoyed personal success, Saturday was about inspired running throughout the team for men, which blew away their competition.
Hallinan finished with a time of 24:27, followed closely behind by Fennell at 24:34. Also finishing in the top 10 for the Eagles were freshman Kevin Tschirhart (fourth), junior Conor Lanz (sixth), and sophomore Awit Yohannes (ninth).
Army finished second, followed by Navy and host Lehigh.
While the women weren't as deep as the men Saturday, Carlstrom sees similar things for her teammates in the future.
"I see what they are capable of and I can't wait to see all they can accomplish... I am just sorry I can't be more of a part of it," Carlstrom said. "I just hope I leave a big enough mark to help them all become what they are capable of."
Next for the Eagles is an NCAA regional competition, followed by the national championships. AU travels back to Bethlehem for its regional on November 12th, before heading to Terra Haute, Indiana on November 21st for the NCAA National Championship.
But, while the biggest individual accomplishments might be yet to come, the biggest highlight of this Saturday may have been the fans that took advantage of a school-sponsored three-hour bus trip to Bethlehem.
"It really makes a huge difference when everyone is so supportive and excited to see you do well," Carlstrom said. "We had so many people come out. It was great"
