BENNINGTON, Vt. – For the second time in three years, the Southern Vermont College men's cross country team began the regular season by winning its home Mountaineer Invitational, the 2016 squad doing so on Saturday with a strong group showing.
SVC claimed the title with 31 team points, topping second-place Castleton State University by 10. Four Mountaineers finished in the top 10 with another two in the top 15.
The morning previewed autumn in Vermont with a slight crisp to the air, but things warmed up by the start of the women's race as the sun reigned free across the mountain-side campus. A well-maintained 5000 meter course proved challenging for the men's and women's runners, giving them a difficult start to their fall seasons.
Both individual champions hailed from Castleton as junior Grandon Smith bested the rest of the men's participants at 17:38 after freshman Kaylyn Crompton won on the women's side with a time of 20:11. Castleton also won the women's 5k race as a team while Southern Vermont was second overall with a great first showing.
Next up for SVC is the Castleton Invitational, heading north next Saturday, September 10 for the 11 a.m. start.
Men's 5k individual & team results: http://svcathletics.com/sports/mxc/2016-17/files/2016_MountInv_Mens_Results.pdf
Southern Vermont was led by junior captain Marc Brandmeyer (Bennington, Vt.) who was just six seconds behind Smith for second overall (17:45) in the 5k. Mountaineer sophomore Stephen McCall (Brockton, Mass.) was closely behind during a great first showing for SVC, coming in fourth overall and second for the team with a mark of 17:51.
Freshman Bailey Hamilton (Londonderry, N.H.) was third for the Mountaineers and seventh overall, crossing with a time of 18:30, and Bennington College sophomore Noah Froh (Milwaukee, Wis.) placed eighth overall and fourth for SVC at 18:48. Freshman Davante Smith (Ellenville, N.Y.) rounded out Southern Vermont's scoring with a 19:07 showing that was good enough for 13th overall.
Mountaineer senior Corey Barcomb (Burlington, Vt.) was next for the team at 15th overall, coming through at 19:18 while Bennington College sophomore Alexander Ging (Simsbury, Conn.) was less than a minute off that pace to turn in a 20:11 mark. SVC senior Aden Fischer (Arlington, Vt.) finished in the top half of the field, completing the course with a time of 20:38 during his last competition on his home course.
Following the race, Southern Vermont head coach Kathleen Newton and the rest of the Mountaineers recognized and honored its two departing team members in Barcomb and Fischer, celebrating their hard work and dedication to the program over the years.
Southern Vermont
2nd - Marc Brandmeyer: 17:45
4th - Stephen McCall: 17:51
7th - Bailey Hamilton: 18:30
8th - Noah Froh: 18:48
13th - Davante Smith: 19:07
15th - Corey Barcomb: 19:18
22nd - Alexander Ging: 20:11
27th - Aden Fischer: 20:38
– #LetsGoSVC –