The American University cross country team completed a successful meet at the ECAC/IC4A Championships on Oct. 17 with both squads placing in the top 10 teams.
The women’s team opened the day’s racing with a ninth-place finish out of 25 teams in the ECAC Championship — a nine-place improvement from last year’s competition.
Freshman Shealyn Brochu continued her successful start to the season as the first Eagle home in a 6k time of 21:29.8 to finish 11th out of 235 overall. Fellow freshman Emma Colavito followed with a time of 22:10.9 to secure 34th place and sophomore Zoe Rector and freshman Lydia Drago ran closely in the pack to finish 75th and 85th in respective times of 22:50.2 and 22:53.7. Senior Kate Riley capped off the scoring in 99th place with a personal best time of 23:02.9.
The men’s squad maintained the Eagles’ successful day of racing by finishing fourth overall, a two-place improvement from last year’s IC4A Championship.
Senior Kaden Kluth was the first Eagle over the line in an 8k time of 24:45.8 to secure eighth place after a surging last third of the race, which saw him move up 12 spots in the pack. Fellow senior Cooper Michaud also managed a top-20 finish with a time of 24:54.6 for 18th place.
Senior Carver Morgan and sophomore Noah Smith posted close finishes with times of 25:10.9 and 25:13.8, earning 29th and 32nd place, respectively. Freshman Emmett Engelhardt continues to impress in his rookie season and topped off the men’s scoring in a personal best time of 25:28.5 for 50th place.
Both Brochu and Engelhardt earned Patriot League Rookie of the Week honors on Oct. 21 for their standout performances from the meet. The award marks Engelhardt’s first and Brochu’s second of the season, following Brochu’s sixth-place finish at the Paul Short Run on Oct. 3, where she ran a personal-best 21:09.5 over 6k.
The awards mark the first time the Eagles have swept Rookie of the Week, in a huge step forward for the cross country program.
Assistant coach Madison Neuner said they were pleased with both the team and individual performances of the squad.
“I’ve seen a massive improvement in our team’s performance. Cutting our placement in half was a huge success,” Neuner said. “We were expecting an improvement because we know we have a very talented group, especially our freshmen coming in.”
Neuner also acknowledged the men's squad’s frustration at finishing just one point shy of the podium.
“We like going into the championship season with a chip on our shoulders,” Neuner said. “It’s going to give us a way to improve and a way to be excited.”
Brochu was similarly positive about her race and the strong start to the season.
“I’m pleased. I’m excited that I’m placing high. I have a lot of confidence,” she said.
Brochu added that she was pleased with her effort despite the difficult weather, and noted that the cold temperatures and strong winds made the race tougher than expected despite the flat course.
The Eagles delivered another strong performance on Oct. 31 at Lehigh, with the men’s team earning their highest finish since 2013, placing third, and the women’s team taking seventh at the Patriot League Championships. Kluth earned First-Team All-Patriot League honors, while Brouchu was named to the Second Team and recognized as the Patriot League Rookie of the Meet. Both teams will compete again on Nov. 14 at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional, also at Lehigh.
This article was edited by Connor Sturniolo, Penelope Jennings and Walker Whalen. Copy editing done by Sabine Kanter-Huchting, Avery Grossman, Audrey Smith, Ava Stuzin and Ryan Sieve.
