The AU men’s cross-country team finished second, while the women’s team placed sixth at the Patriot League Championships Oct. 29 at Lehigh University’s Goodman Campus in Bethlehem, Pa.
Olsen Top Finisher on Men’s Team
Josh Olsen ran the 8K in 25:12.80 to finish in second place, trailing only Christopher Johnson from Colgate University. Johnson finished in first place with a time of 24:53.90.
Olsen improved on his mark from last season, when he finished 17th at the PL Championships with a time of 25:36.00.
Ryan Williams placed sixth with a time of 25:21.80, as the senior continued a strong October. Williams finished fifth at the Leopard Invitational in Easton, Pa. earlier this month.
Mark Allen finished seventh with a time of 25:23.20, while John Pope completed the race in 25:31.10 to come in ninth and give the AU men’s squad four finishers in the top 10.
Mark Leininger (26:13.10), CJ Horvath (26:24.60) and Ian Lutz (26:31.20) wrapped up the Eagles’ performance by placing 26th, 35th and 37th, respectively.
The men’s team finished second to the Navy Midshipmen at the conference championships for the third straight year, as Navy finished with 38 points while the Eagles finished with 49.
Rinehardt Finishes Eighth for Women
Octavia Rinehardt was the top finisher for the AU women, as the senior placed eighth individually with a time of 22:40.80.
But the result marks Rinehardt’s worst finish in the contest since her freshman year, when she also finished eighth. Rinehardt finished fifth at the 2009 PL Championships and fourth in 2010, but slipped to eighth this time around.
The women would have three other finishers in the top 40, as Ali Tyburski came in 24th place after finishing the race in 23:24.70, Carly Birkhold finished in 27th at 23:29.40 and Leah Gellineau clocked in at 23:42.90 for a 36th-place finish.
Other finishers for the Eagles included Julia Sullivan (58th place, 24:32.10) and Rachael Wolff (72nd place, 25:26.80).
The women finished in sixth place for the second consecutive year, while Navy completed the sweep of the team titles as the Midshipmen edged Bucknell University.
The Eagles will next be in action for the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Meet Nov. 12 at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, with the NCAA Championships scheduled for Nov. 21 in Terre Haute, Ind.
AU’s men’s team ran to a seventh-place finish at last year’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Meet, while Birkhold and Rinehardt competed in the event on the women’s side. Rinehardt qualified for the NCAA Championship Meet with an 18th-place finish.
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