Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Bison Open
XC Teams Run Well at Bison Open
8/31/2013 2:17:00 PM | Women's Cross Country
LEWISBURG, Pa. --�The Bucknell men's and women's cross country teams enjoyed a successful debut meet at the Bison Open on a muggy Saturday morning at the West Fields. Running alongside local programs Juniata and Susquehanna, Bucknell dominated the meet, led by first-place finishers�Michael McGowan�in the men's race and�Montana DiPietrantonio�in the women's race.
"It was a humid day, and that affected a few people some more than others," said Bison head coach Kevin Donner. "Overall, I'm happy with how the meet went. This is a good measuring point for us as we look ahead to some big meets coming up this season."
The men starting off the day by claiming the top nine places. McGowan took first in 14:42, seven seconds ahead of runner-up�John Dugan.�Glen Williams,�Andrew Garcia-Garrison,�Harrison Brakewood,�Peter Murray,�Luke Giugliano,�Eric Balaban�and�John Kirna�all followed before Susquehanna's John Crowe broke up the string of orange jerseys.
"The men's race went about like I thought it would," said Donner. "The men ran a very nice race. There were a few pleasant surprises. Freshman�Luke Giugliano�ran very well. It was a good opener for us."
In the women's competition, DiPietrantonio and�Kylie Pearse�separated themselves from the pack midway through the race and cruised to a 1-2 finish. DiPietrantonio finished in 17:45, with Pearse crossing four seconds later. Freshman�Catherine Scott�took third in 17:58 in her first collegiate race. Another first-year runner,�Sarah Chandler, finished in fifth place. Chandler, who played soccer in the fall in high school before moving over to track, was running in her first-ever cross country meet.
Nora Adams�(6th),�Zoe Gaston�(7th),�Katie Jessee�(9th) and�Alison Lockwood�(10th) also finished in the top 10 for the Bison.
"I thought the women looked good today," said Donner. "Kylie Pearse�was a pleasant surpise jumping up and taking second. She has taken her running to a whole new level. I was very pleased with our top two freshmen,�Catherine Scott�and�Sarah Chandler. We have some very good runners and some who still need to get fit and used to running on grass again coming off of outdoor track season. We have the potential to be a very good team."
Both Bucknell teams are back in action on Sept. 13 at the Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational at Penn State.�
Players Mentioned
