With the leaves of the trees just barely turning and the familiar Delaware humidity crowding the air, the club team laced up their spikes to once again compete at the Delaware Invitational. The White Clay course is known for its harsh terrain and insistent hills, often earning it the title of a “real” cross country course. Full results can be found here.

Despite the technicality of the course, both teams threw down some excellent times, proving this season to be one of both speedy front runners blazing the way and tight packs closing in on the top 7 spots.

For the women’s 6k, Bailey Davin once again led the pack, this time running 25:09.9, putting her number 6 on the all-time list. Despite this being Davin’s first cross country race, her fearless racing speaks to that of a pro.

Allison Einig followed behind Davin, coming in strong with a 26:10.9, over a minute faster than her last race on this course! Emma Bateman, Emily Magoon, Maddy Ciskowski, Abby Kaye, and Elise LaFramboise rounded out the top 7, good for a 5th place finish overall.

In the men’s 8k, Michael Durkin dominated the race, commandeering a lead pack from the very start. In a gutsy last 200 meters, Durkin battled it out for first against Josh Coakley of West Chester, overtaking him in the final 100 meters to cinch first by .2 seconds with a 26:54.6, improving his number 9 spot on the all-time list to number 6.

Brendan Jones was the second runner for the team, coming in hot with a 29:01.4 for 12th overall and a 3 minute personal best on the White Clay 8k course.

The men’s top 7 was finished off by John Papadopoulos, Schuyler Reed, Evan Massa, and Paul Filipow, and Trent Zuspann earning them a number three overall finish. 

Next week, the Blue Hens race at the Paul Short Invitational at Lehigh University. It’s a flat course with great competition, so look out for some speedy times!