PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The Franciscan University men's and women's cross country Teams battled through a tough course at the first ever Chatham University Invitational, placing third and fifth respectively.
Despite a hilly race, key Franciscan runners Patrick Flanagan, David Byers, and Colene Smith, led Franciscan to a strong finish.
On the first day that cross country had good running weather, the Lady Barons ran one of their toughest courses yet, featuring several big hills. Coming off the start, junior Allison Huelseman ran out strong, surging forward and taking the top spot on the team.
In the second mile, Huelseman fell victim to the tough terrain and was soon passed by sophomore Colene Smith.
"Colene has always been a strong hill runner," head coach Dan Kuebler said. "She and the entire women's team is showing a lot of progress since the first meet."
In an impressive display of skill and endurance, Smith steadily moved up in the race, tackling each successive hill and leading the Lady Barons to a fifth place finish out of ten teams.
"We've had a lot of very hilly races early in the season," Kuebler said. "It will be interesting to see what we can do later on some of the faster courses, like Oberlin, in October."
On the men's side, team captain Patrick Flanagan finished in fifth place. Flanagan came off the start strong and held a steady pace throughout the race, hovering around the fifth or sixth spot. By starting his kick early, he was able to pass several key runners to lead the Barons to a third place finish overall.
Also fielding a good races were freshmen Emmett Delaney and David Byers. Newcomers to the team, Delaney and Byers have proved themselves to be integral to the Baron's success this year. At Chatham, Byers finished ninth and Delaney finished soon after.
"David and Emmett are starting to show their potential," Kuebler said. "They're helping out the returning runners a lot, motivating them to do more in practice and essentially, keeping them on their toes."
The Franciscan Cross Country team has a break next weekend for homecoming and the Sixth Annual Kelly Roggensack Memorial Races, but will resume competition at the Carnegie Mellon Invitational on October 12.
