Syracuse cross country posts 2 top-10 finishes in Paul Short Run
Syracuse cross country continued its strong season Friday as its women's squad placed fifth and its men's team claimed ninth at the Paul Short Run. Ike Wood | Asst. Photo Editor
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Syracuse cross country competed in the Paul Short Run Friday in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, hosted by Lehigh. The Orange secured two top-10 finishes, with the men finishing ninth and the women placing fifth.
The men’s team ran first in the Gold Race, claiming its ninth-place finish out of 40 schools. Its best placement came from redshirt freshman Sam Ricchiuti, who crossed the line in 28th. Ricchiuti didn’t run in last week’s Gans Creek Classic but had strong appearances in the first two meets.
Fellow redshirt freshman Drew Zundell finished after Ricchiuti in 30th. Zundell also didn’t participate last week after appearing in the first two events. The Orange’s third-best finish came from redshirt junior Ruben Rojas Betanzos, who claimed 61st.
The two other scoring times for Syracuse came from redshirt junior Eamon Burke and redshirt freshman Asher Danielson. They finished 74th and 75th, respectively. For Danielson, it was only his third Syracuse cross country event after winning his race his first time out at the Harry Lang Invitational in August.
Of the eight teams that finished above the Orange, only two – Georgetown and Harvard – were ranked. Georgetown entered the week ranked 28th and finished first in the Gold Race. Harvard is ranked 29th and second in the Northeast region only behind SU, and the Crimson finished in fourth. The Orange, ranked 11th in the nation, were beaten by six unranked teams and two lower than them in the polls.
Meanwhile, the women’s team impressed. Its fifth-place ranking came against a pool of 39 schools. Redshirt junior Beatriz Fernandes led the way, finishing in 23rd. She competed in the event last year but didn’t finish.
Behind her was sophomore Sarah Lawson, who finished in 29th after ending last year’s event in 65th. Freshman Mackenzie Cook had the third-best time for the Orange, placing 37th. Sophomores Lauren Augustyn and Grace Finnegan had the other two scoring times, capturing 47th and 83rd, respectively. Augustyn improved her time by over 20 seconds from last year’s event.
After racing for consecutive weeks, the Orange will have next week off but return on Oct. 17 for the Princeton Fall Classic in New Jersey.
