Personal Victory for Manchester Cross Country at Inter-Regional Rumble
Ryan Daine
Nine Spartans from the men’s cross country team carried themselves to personal victory as they crossed the finish line at the Inter-Regional Rumble, hosted by Oberlin College, this past Saturday.
The yearly event, which sees fierce competition from some of the most respected and competitive NCAA Division III cross country teams, was the last regular season meet for the men before they enter tournament competition. This meet comes rather slowly off the heels of the Spartans’ last varsity matchup, which occurred on Oct. 5, when the team placed 26th out of 40 total teams at the Louisville Classic, in Louisville, Kentucky.
The improvement was clear, as the Spartans were able to place within the top half winning bracket of the present teams, eventually edging out to finish 18th out of 39. In addition, several school records, as well as individual personal records were set for the team, as the morning races moved forward with the easygoing fall skies. The mild temperature, welcoming sunshine, and a cool breeze was a welcome sight and reprieve to many runners, as the fall weather has been firmly locked into place.
While the climate remained cool, however, the competitive heat was turned up, as the runners worked to outpace and outlast their fellow runners. Their efforts would be rewarded, as the team placed 18th out of a total of 39 other competing colleges who were also in attendance for this large showdown of endurance.
Placing within the top bracketed half at such an intensive and grueling conference meet is a huge positive to take away from the regular season, as the Spartans look to run, head first, and with a sustainable pace of course, into tournament competition in early November. In addition, many more positive on a personal level were also highlighted from this meet in Oberlin, Ohio from over the weekend.
Three varsity runners, including junior Lucas Fontanez, senior Samuel Barnard and senior Daniel Baker all set new PRs, as well as shattering previous school records. Fontanez, who placed first for the team, in the 55th spot, set the 21st fastest time for the school’s record books. Bernard, who placed 82nd, ranks as the 28th fastest time in school history. Lastly, Baker, who finished 94th, moved up to the 29th fastest rank overall for the college.
In addition, two other runners also set their own PRs during the midmorning run on Saturday. Varsity runners included senior Cameron Walton and freshman Enrique Salazar. The men’s cross country team will have a bit of a reprieve and some time for rest, as October winds down. With the regular season out of the way, the Spartans will look forward to early November, as tournament meets will begin to take place.
Three tourney meets will take place, with one occurring under the discretion of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference, and two others under the discretion of the NCAA Division III section. The tournament will officially kick off on Nov. 3, in Terre Haute, Indiana.