UD Club XCTF began their official 2024 cross-country season at the DC Invitational in Derwood, MD, hosted by George Washington University. Despite the hot weather and a challenging, hilly course, both the men’s and women’s teams had a strong start to the season at this NIRCA-sanctioned race, securing third place overall.
Leading the Blue Hens in the women’s 6k was senior Lauren Pollock, with an impressive 9th place finish and a time of 25:05.20. Sophomore Claire Merchant continues to succeed securing her top 10 overall spot place with a time of 25:28.40. Junior Jade Barrett followed placing 13th, completing the course in 26:18.50, with freshman Zoe Morawski close behind crossing the line in 16th place in 27:03.50. Sophomore Kate Kershaw earned a solid 25th place with her time of 27:35.80. Sophomores Marleigh Ballard and Anna Callaghan made strong showings, with Ballard placing 27th in 28:21.20 and Callaghan finishing 28th in 28:24.90 to complete the top seven for the Blue Hens.
* Official Women’s times are based on a 300-meter-short 6k course and should be adjusted accordingly.
As our men’s team set out to race their 8k, junior Brady Sheaffer led the Blue Hens with a strong 9th-place finish, clocking in at 29:07.90 and placing in the top 10 overall. Freshman Sebastiano Vandoni followed showing his strength finishing 12th at 29:52.60, with junior Matthew Kwiatkowski close behind in 14th with a time of 29:57.00 breaking the 30-minute mark. Juniors Evan Diefenbeck and Evan Pawlik both delivered top-20 performances, with Diefenbeck placing 16th in 30:02.50 and Pawlik finishing 18th in 31:33.90. Freshman Patch Lant came in 22nd with a time of 32:03.10, and junior Josh Pawlik followed, finishing in 24th at 32:13.90, rounding out the Delaware top seven and placing in the top 30 overall. Sophomore Sean Simonini and freshman Michael Colavito battled closely, finishing just 0.1 seconds apart, with Simonini crossing the line in 32:16.30 and Colavito in 32:16.40.
Despite a challenging season opener, Delaware had a successful start with many notable performances. We’re excited to make the short trip to White Clay Creek State Park in Newark, DE, for the Delaware Invite on September 20!
Full results can be found here.
