Sept. 11, 2004
NEW YORK-- The women's and men's cross country squads opened their 2004 seasons with strong third-place showings in meets in the Bronx and State College, Pa.
Despite holding its top 10 runners out of the competition, Columbia finished a strong third in the 18-team Fordham Invitational at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx.
The Lions scored 66 points, behind Providence, 35, and Yale, 51, but ahead of such schools as Penn, 4th with 104; Fordham, 5th with 204; East Stroudsburg, 6th with 207, and Sacred Heart, 7th with 270.
Columbia deftly exercised its tactic of running as a pack, so that each runner can support the other. Kirsten Hornbach (So-Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) led the team with a 10th place in 19:13.05. The next four Lions were separated by just seven seconds -- sophomore Daniella Padilla (C-Westlake Village, Calif.), 12th in 19:14.16; sophomore Margaret Frank (B-Portland, Ore.), 13th in 19:17.13; junior Hilary Bontz (C-Fort Collins, Colo.), 15th in 19:18.46; and first-year Rachel Belt (C-Bainbridge Island, Wash.), 16th in 19:20.51.
"I'm very pleased with our performance today," head coach Craig Lake said. "Although we held out our top runners, we were able to beat Penn and mix it up with Yale.
"We worked very well as a team. There was just a small gap between our first and fifth runners. We're really deep; this shows we can mix it up so well. It was a great day for our team."
The men's team also was impressive with a third place in the Spiked Shoe Invitational, a 22-team event at the Penn State Golf Course on the Nittany Lions' campus.
Although head men's coach Willy Wood dictated a conservative early pace, Columbia scored 102 points, behind only Princeton, 63, and La Salle, 70. The Lions led several Eastern powers, including St. Joseph's, Penn State, Duquesne and Widener, plus out-of-town Kent State.
Two seniors led the way -- Gerry Groothuis (Kitchener, Ont.), 6th in 26:00.44 and Karl Dusen (Doylestown, Pa.), 10th in 26:12.68. The men also excelled at "pack" running, with the next six runners separated by a mere nine seconds!
Sophomore Mark Olivier (Groton, Conn.) was 27th in 26:45.21, junior Steve Vilt (Brunswick, Ohio) 29th in 26:47.75, and first-year Greg Hughes (Northfield, N.J.) 30th in 26:48.35. Then came senior Will Boylan-Pett (Bath, Mich.), 34th in 26:49.90; junior Sam Miller (Austin, Texas), 37th in 26:51.67, and senior Adam Hurst (Slate Hill, N.Y.), 38th in 26:54.18.
"This race was basically a confidence builder," Groothuis said. "It got the team together. I saw a cluster of light blue finish together." Dusen agreed. "We all stayed together," he said, "until the three-mile mark. We tried to maintain an even effort; it was a good start for the team."
Steve Vilt, a key figure in last season's second place in the Ivy Heptagonal Championships, ran for the first time since suffering an injury in February.
"I just wanted to get the race out of the way," said Vilt, who was pleased with his race. "Our main focus was on our third through fifteenth runners staying together in a pack." It worked well, he said. "No Columbia guy was alone; teammates were always with you, encouraging you."
Columbia will make its next appearance in the Paul Short Invitational at Lehigh on September 25, and will not enter the Roy Griak Invitational in Minneapolis, as previously scheduled.
FORDHAM INVITATIONAL, Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx, NY (women's team)-- Providence 35, Yale 51, Columbia 66, Penn 104, Quinnipiac 125, Fordham 204, East Stroudsburg 207, Sacred Heart 225 - 18 teams.
1. Mary Cullen, Providence, 17:26.0. 10. Kirsten Hornbach, 19:13.05; 12. Daniella Padilla, 19:14.16; 13. Margaret Frank, 19:17.13; 15. Hilary Bontz, 19:18.46; 16. Rachel Belt, 19:20.51; 33. Elizabeth Carey, 20:00.84; 39. Liz Gill, 20:06.41; 40. Melody Trindle-Smith, 20:11.45; 59. Oriana Campbell, 20:36.61. (men's race)-- 36. Bob Wallden, 27:32.26; 53. Scott Mitchell, 28:18.58
Spiked Shoe Invitational, Penn State Golf Course (5.2 miles), State College, Pa. (men's team-- 1. Princeton 63, La Salle 70, Columbia, 102, St. Joseph's 111, Penn State 131, Duquesne 170, Kent State 193, Widener 240, Shippensburg 285 - 22 teams
1. Macharia Yuot, Widener, 25:48.16; 6. Gerry Groothuis, 26:00.44; 10. Karl Dusen, 26:12.68; 27. Mark Olivier, 26:45.21; 29. Steve Vilt, 26:476.75; 30. Greg Hughes, 26:48.00; 34. Will Boylan-Pett, 26:49.90; 37. Sam Miller, 26:51.67; 38. Adam Hurst, 26:54.18; 43. Jon Marcus, 27:03.69; 54. Liam Boylan-Pett, 27:12.30.
