BUFFALO — The University at Buffalo cross country’s head coach, Vicki Mitchell isn’t letting the most recent regional rankings get to her of the teams. Most recently, the men’s team jumped to a number 10 ranking in the Northeast Region, while the women were ranked number 13. Mitchell is looking to jump even higher after the upcoming weekend: the Penn State Open and the canines Canisius Classic.
The Bulls have seen a lot of success from their runners this year, most recently at the Lehigh Paul Short Invitational on October 1st. The men took home a 15th place finish out of 38 teams, while the women took home a 17th place out of 45 teams, 13 of them being nationally ranked. Andrew Berge led the way for the men, completing the race in 24:39, a personal best on the course for the junior. For the women, freshman Stephanie Ward continues to be on top for the Bulls. She clocked in at 20:56, a new program record on the course.
Ward has shown success in each of the three races of the season, being the first Bull to cross the finish line in all three. She placed 6th in her rookie debut at the Colgate Harry Lang Invite, 2nd at the UB Stampede, and most recently 55th place out of 405 runners at the Paul Short Invite. Ward was named UB Student-Athlete of the Week for the week of September 19th after her finish at the UB Stampede.
The men are seeing improvement from race to race. Freshman Caleb Covell did well in his debut as a Bull, taking home an 18th place finish. Andrew Berge has also been a driving force for the men. Berge finished first for the bulls in the past two races, most notably with a 4th place finish at the UB Stampede.
This upcoming weekend, the Bulls will split and compete in two races. The Top-10 performers will be traveling to University Park, PA to compete in the Penn State Open. This is the first time the team will be competing in this race, and they hoping to make a lasting impression. The rest will travel a little closer to home and compete in the Canisius Classic held in Delaware Park here in Buffalo. The team competed last year in the race; the men took away a 5th place finish. Lloyd Webb, Franklyn Pfeil, and John McCarthy were able to take home Top-30 finishes. The women placed two in the Top-20: Lauren Reyda (18th) and Laura Libruk (20th).
The Penn State Open begins at 9:30 a.m. Friday. The Canisius Classic begins at noon Saturday.
from UBBulls.com via IFTTT