Sept. 13, 2008

Complete Results

ATHENS, Ohio - Cross country kicked off the season today with the Green and White Invite, featuring the Bobcats and the Colonials of Robert Morris University. Both the men's and women's races were 5k events, as opposed to the men running an 8k, on the grounds of the Ohio University Golf Course.

The women's race was held first, and the Bobcats turned in a strong finish for the first meet of the season. The top five runners were Bobcats, led by juniors Kari Summers (Troy, Ohio) and Annie Beecham (Granvile, Ohio). Summers ran a 17:15, with Beecham close behind at 17:32. Rounding out the top five were junior Jenielle Hunt, junior Abigail Swift, and senior Melissa Hornor. The Bobcats finished with 15 points, while the Colonials tallied 50.

The men's race followed the women's race, with Bobcats again leading the way. Junior Ridge Robinson turned in a 14:59 to pace the field. He was followed by teammates Shamus Eaton (15:04), freshman Tyler Cantley (15:18), and seniors Drew Fattlar (15:31) and Chad Toussant (15:44). The Bobcat men also notched 15 points to Robert Morris' 50.

Assistant Coach Mitch Bentley was pleased with the opening effort of the teams. "It was a strong start to the season. It was good to see everyone get out there and get with it. We'll look at the results and go from there," said Bentley.

Surprise standouts of the meet include freshman Tyler Cantley (Vincent, Ohio) and junior Abigail Swift (Newark, Del.). "(Swift) was a surprise. She came in as a walk-on and worked really hard over the summer. It was neat to see her do so well today," Bentley said.

The weather forecast for the day called for rain showers, so Bentley set the course in anticipation of that, but the day turned out to be beautiful with blue skies. As a result, the times for the meet turned out slightly faster than expected. "Times were quick, which was a surprise for this course. We prepared for rain, so without it the course ran fast today," commented Bentley.

The Bobcats will return to action Saturday, Sept. 27, when they host the Ohio Invitational. The meet is scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. at the Ohio University Golf Course.