LATROBE, Pa.—The Franciscan University of Steubenville cross country team earned a solid spot at the St. Vincent Invitational meet Saturday morning. The men came in fourth out of nine and the women sixth out of 11. The top five runners for the Barons and the top seven runners for the Lady Barons did not compete, resting up for the All-Ohio Championship next Friday, Sept. 30.
For the men's team, Joey Schlueter was the top runner, coming in 29th overall with a time of 29:13. Marcus Fluty and Tom Hogan followed close behind, each with a time of 29:18.
Molly Chambers was the top female runner for the Lady Barons, coming in 18th overall with a time of 21:03. Colene Smith was 36th at 22:26, with Elise Zavicek right behind her at 22:28 in the 38th spot.
The St. Vincent Invitational is marked by a large hill on the course that the men run twice and the women run once during the course of the race. The hill is a true test to the most athletic of runners and proves the endurance these runners must possess in order to run in each meet.
Cross Country Chaplain Fr. Gregory Plow noted, "This hill is like Calvary, and I stand at the top of the hill holding the cross for all to see as they run up the treacherous incline. The cross reminds our team Who they run for, and that is bigger than any momentary suffering they may face."
"This was a tough course today, but the team pushed through and did well," stated head coach Dan Kuebler. "We were resting our top runners but we saw a great effort by the rest of the team and we are looking forward to the All-Ohio Championship on Friday."
The team travels to Cedarville, Ohio, on Friday, Sept. 30 for the All-Ohio Championship. The first race is set to begin at 2 p.m.
