NEWARK, N.J. — The cross country program had its best performance of the season on Saturday morning at the Mets Cross Country Championships hosted by NJIT. The men finished in first place in the competition, scoring 29 points while the next lowest was Seton Hall with 93. The women also had a great day, finishing in fifth place with a score of 128. 

Matt Gatune was the star of the show for Columbia, winning the 8k for the men among an elite pool of student-athletes, clocking in with a time of 24:43.99 which was nearly four seconds faster than second place. He was a key piece of the Lions' first place victory in the competition. 

Michael Danzi, Caleb Gartner, and Justin O'Toole also had a great morning for Columbia, all placing top-10. Danzi earned bronze with a time of 25:03.39, Gartner placed sixth with a time of 25:37.43, and O'Toole finished in seventh with a time of 25:38.03. 

Meanwhile, on the women's side, first-year Caroline Jankowich shined in the 6k, placing fourth with a time of 18:01.11.

Naomi Toft placed in 17th, clocking in at 18:41.26, while Olivia Schmitt had a top-25 finish with a time of 19:08.70. 

All of the individual performances for Columbia's men can be found HERE, while the performances for the women can be found HERE. 

The Lions have a busy schedule next weekend, as both the men and women wrap up the regular season. On Friday, October 13, the women will compete in the Nuttycombe Invite hosted by Wisconsin, while the men will compete at the ECAC Championships at Van Cortlandt Park. 
 
Stay up to date on all things Columbia cross country by following the Lions on Twitter (@CULionsXCTF), Instagram (@culionsxctf) and on Facebook (@ColumbiaAthletics).