LYNDONVILLE, Vt. – The Vermont Cross Country Intercollegiate Championships took place Saturday at Lyndon State College, and the Southern Vermont College men's team ran hard in the tough field and sloppy conditions.
Freshman Joshua Ceasar (Bardstown, Ky.) led the Mountaineers with a 27th-place finish, coming in at 32:07.6, while sophomore captain Victor Velazquez (Los Angeles, Calif.) finished at 55th with a time of 36:01.1. Nationally-ranked Middlebury College (12) took the day with seven top-ten finishers. Nate Sans (Princeton, Mass.) led the 86-runner field, finishing the 8K in 28:23.4.
Morning rain caused the course to be very wet, laced with puddles which the runners had to negotiate. Along with sharp corners, steep climbs and a narrow single track, it was not forgiving to their times and made for a rough race.
SVC did well in the last 1600 meters, an aspect of its performance which head coach Maria Stuber has been working on with the team. "I was very proud of my athletes for being tough and staying positive in the sloppy conditions," said Stuber. "Next week is a much needed weekend off for us. We will focus on volume and recovery."
The Mountaineers next compete at the Western New England Golden Bears Invitational in Springfield, Mass. on October 13.